


Intuition

by Midnight_Clover



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, But only in the way that they're already in cannon, Character Death, Don’t copy to another site, Druids, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Magic Revealed, Merlin & Morgana Friendship (Merlin), Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Morgana's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Post-Episode: s02e03 The Nightmare Begins (Merlin), Season/Series 02, Season/Series 03, Season/Series 04, Self-Indulgent, Soulmates, Uther Pendragon's A+ Parenting (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:01:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 39,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27536488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnight_Clover/pseuds/Midnight_Clover
Summary: Merlin has the tendency to accept the advice of others only at the most inopportune moments. So, what happens if Merlin ignores Gaius' and the Dragon's advice about Morgana? What happens to Arthur when he does that? What happens to destiny?Or:Merlin does his best to stop taking shit from the goddamn dragon.Arc 1 complete!
Relationships: Gwen/Morgana (Merlin), Merlin & Morgana (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 137
Kudos: 548





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Arc 1: Morgana's Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magic and overhearing.

“What I don't understand, Morgana, is how the fire started in the first place,” Merlin heard Gaius say from outside the door. He hesitated to walk forward.

“It happened so quickly. It was terrifying.” Morgana’s voice was shaky. 

“It's all right. You're safe now,” Gaius soothed her.

“You're the only person I've told about my dreams.” Morgana sounded on the verge of tears. “I know I can trust you, Gaius.”

“Yes, of course you can.”

“It was me. I set the room alight. I started the fire,” Morgana confessed. 

Merlin watched through a crack in the door. Morgana was wrapped in a blanket. Gaius was rubbing her back soothingly. 

“I don't understand. Did you knock a candle over?” Gaius asked.

“No that's not what happened. I did it just by looking at it, the flames suddenly leapt higher.” 

“I could've been a gust of wind,” Gaius attempted to reason.

“It wasn't. It was me. It was magic.” 

Merlin knew for certain Morgana had never studied any magic. She’d have had no opportunity. And the fear in her voice was that of someone with no control. Merlin knew it well. Once he’d nearly toppled a good chunk of the forest in Ealdor, just by vaguely thinking about it. He hadn’t meant too. And when the ground shook from the falling lumber, he stood frozen with fear. 

“My child…” Gaius whispered.

“I’m not a child!” Morgana yelled.

“Last night was an accident. It had nothing to do with you. How could it have? I am going to draw you up a fresh remedy that will make you feel better, I promise.”

Gaius was lying to her. She needed someone to tell her the truth. That she could learn to control it. Yet, Gaius was lying to her.

“No…” Morgana managed a whisper of protest.

“You must trust me,” Gaius reaffirmed.

Morgana left with a draught Gaius prepared. Merlin was sure she wouldn’t take it. 

When Merlin sat down for lunch that afternoon, Merlin tried to bring up the incident that had occurred the night before.

“I was helping clear up Morgana's chambers earlier,” he said. Gaius hummed an acknowledgement. “The window was blown out in the courtyard below.” Gaius hummed again. “It's odd isn't it? If lightning struck the window like Arthur said, you'd think the glass would've fallen inside of the window. It was magic. You know it was. More importantly, so does she.”

“Morgana knows nothing for certain,” Gaius said in a contradictory and scolding tone. The same one he used to try and get Merlin to hold his tongue. 

“Which makes it even worse. She isn't sure what's happening to her and it's tearing her apart,” Merlin said. He knew the thoughts that were probably swirling and spiraling in her head. Thoughts of monsters and burning.

“What would you have me do?” Gaius asked, as if there were no solution.

“Talk to her,” Merlin pressed. He stood up and walked over to where Gaius was woking at his bench. “Tell her she'll be ok. Tell her that her powers aren't something to be afraid of.” Like I needed to hear. 

“I can’t.” There was a slight sorrow in his tone. Somewhere deep inside Merlin, somewhere filled with a self hate he didn’t like to acknowledge, he hear those words take a meaning that said “Because your and her powers both are something to be afraid of.”

But up in his mind where the happy Merlin was and didn’t need to do much to stay, he heard that Gaius couldn’t tell her because it’d be to great a risk to himself or Morgana if he were to do so. “Maybe I could speak to her,” Merlin offered, hopeful. 

“No, Merlin, you can’t.” There Gaius was, scolding. 

“What not? I understand what she's going through,” Merlin said. 

“You must never reveal your secret. Not to anyone.”

“If not me, then someone else,” Merlin offered. A whim more than anything.

“Who? This is a kingdom where magic is outlawed, or have you forgotten that?” Gaius said. Of course he said it like that, accusing Merlin of stupidity while trying to be supportive.

“There are those who still practice it. What about the druids?” Merlin thought up quick. “You said that they help people like this.”

“Uther's vowed to destroy them. The druids cannot help her. It would be suicide.” 

“Then who can?”

“I will. Like I've always done.” He’s never actually helped, Merlin knew. The nightmares still paraded on. They still filled her waking hours. He wondered when the seer had last gotten a full night’s sleep. 

“Then you need to be honest with her,” Merlin pressed. If he wouldn’t be, she’d get someone hurt, probably herself.

“What makes you so certain that you know better than me?”

“Because I went through the same thing. I know exactly how she's feeling right now.” He pointed his finger down at the table, trying to emphasize his point. “I know every hateful thought swimming through her mind.”

“You cannot get involved in this. No good can come of it. I mean it, Merlin. Stay out of it!” Gaius said.

Merlin didn’t know if he could.

Later, when he was picking herbs for Gaius, he grabbed flowers too. Wildflowers of different colors. If he was forbidden from supporting her through information, he’d support her as her friend. 

He took the flowers up to her chambers, though he’s not sure he managed to get them past Arthur’s hawklike gaze. Morgana was still shaky, trying to sleep soundly but failing to sit still when Merlin got to her chambers. Merlin wondered it that was because of the magic trying to get out of her. 

Once he’d tried to trap his magic in for his mother’s sake. It ended poorly. After only a day the magic had built up so much that he collapsed to the floor. Only when his mother made him stop did it all leak out of him. It made their floor grow with wildflowers.

Merlin was blowing out the far to many candles that Gaius had when Morgana barged in wearing a silk nightdress.

“Is Gaius here?” She was on the verge of tears. 

“Er, no he's not here at the moment. He should be back soon though,” Merlin said, attempting to find the cause of her distress in her face,

“I need to speak to him. Where is he?”

“He's gone to see the King,” Merlin said. “What's wrong?” Morgana tried to speak but it seemed her throat wouldn’t let her. “You can trust me, Morgana. You know you can.”

She continued to struggle to speak. It seemed she didn’t know what words were supposed to leave first. “I’m scared, Merlin. I don't understand anything anymore. I need to know what's happening.” Merlin hesitated to speak. “Please.”

“Gaius will be back to help you soon,” he said, in a last ditch attempt to follow Gaius’ advice. 

“He won't. I don't want any more remedies. They won't do any good. It's magic, Merlin,” her words spilled out like a spreading wildfire.

Merlin didn’t know what to say.

“I'm your friend, you know I wouldn't make this up,” she pleaded.

Yes. He’s her friend. There’s a responsibility with friendship. “Of course,” he told her.

“Then you believe me? You think it's magic too. Please, Merlin, I just need to hear someone say it so I don't have to keep feeling like I'm imagining it,” the words continued spreading. The fire kept growing. 

“I wouldn’t know,” Merlin said, making his voice as sure of itself as he could make it. “I think it might though.” She rushed forward and gripped his chest. “It’s going to be okay.”

He never broke his promise to Gaius. He’d said not to tell her about his magic. He said nothing of what Merlin couldn’t tell her about her own. 

But he didn’t need so speak. Morgana just seemed to need something firm to ground herself on. He hugged her close as she seemed to hide away from everything that ever was. 

She left before Gaius returned. Saying she felt she might be able to rest now. Merlin smiled at her and she refused his offer to walk her back to her room.

As soon as she’d left, he finished blowing out the candles and went to see the dragon that sat in Camelot’s caverns.

“I need your help,” Merlin said to the dragon. “Do you know where the druids are?” 

The druids were nomads, especially now that magic was banned. They’d never stopped moving about the land. It was tradition. It was part of their culture. The soil, the plants, and the animals were all sacred things to be respected. Mostly they were fridges getting nuts and berries for their food. Rarely they’d hunt an animal. When they did, they’d use all of it’s parts. Any bits they couldn’t, they used in sacrifices. 

“First you must tell me why you seek them.”

This dragon is usually far from actually helpful. He’s just the one who seems to know the most. “That doesn't matter,” Merlin said. 

“It does to me.”

“I need to ask them something,” Merlin said, trying to play along with his stupid game.

“I’ve lived more than a thousand years, seen civilizations rise and fall. Do not believe that you can lie to me.” 

“I need their help.” The dragon gave him a disbelieving look. He sighed. “Someone I care about needs their help,” he attempted to answer more truthfully.

“You speak of the witch, the Lady Morgana,” the dragon said.

“She's not a witch. You’ve never even met her. She's my friend.”

“She cannot be trusted.”

“What makes you say that?”

“It would be better if The Witch-”

“Stop calling her that!”

“It would be better if The Witch never knew the true extent of her powers.”

“That’s not a reason. That’s not even an argument. That’s your word against mine. She’s scared and she needs support.” Merlin took a deep breath, trying to cool his rage against the dragon. “When people are scared they do stupid things and nobody is better for it. She has a good heart.”

“You failed to heed my advice in the past and it brought grave consequences,” The dragon reminds him.

Merlin started pacing back and fourth on the ledge. “I’m not going to follow your advise blindly without reason! At this point no one’s given me any real reason not to teach her about her magic herself. And before you say anything else I won't abandon her.” He takes a deep breath. “The Druids would be better for her and it’d be less of a risk to Gaius and myself. Can you find them?”

“I will not give you the help you seek. If you pursue this course of action, you do so alone.”

Merlin stormed off. “Fucking piece of shit.”

Merlin went to bed. The next morning was normal. Merlin got up, ate quickly with Gaius and rushed to the kitchen’s to get the prince’s breakfast. He brought the breakfast to the prince’s chambers. He opened the curtains with his usual call of “rise and shine”. Arthur was displeased with being awoken after the sun had risen as usual. Merlin struggled not to remind him that the kitchens didn’t start work on breakfast until just before sunup. 

Merlin went about tidying Arthur’s chambers while he ate breakfast. He continued after he was done and as Arthur put on is armor. Sir Leon came in with the list of people who were possibly connected with sorcery, and thus possibly the reason Morgana’s curtains were set on fire. Merlin continued looking like he was doing something after Leon left the room. He read the names on the scroll as Arthur tried to get him to confess he was in love with Morgana.

He thought it odd how sure Arthur seemed that Merlin held romantic affection for her. Merlin couldn’t tell the reason. Perhaps he just wished someone would bring him flowers. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Questions and druids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming back <3

Merlin searched for the woman on the list who was said to be in contact with druids. He warned her of the search just before it was too late for her. In return, she told him where the druids were hiding.

That night, he planned to tell Morgana.

“Gaius asked me to deliver this,” Merlin said. He held up the bottle that contained her usual dream draught.

“I don't need any potion, thank you,” Morgana said. She let him in. “Merlin? Ignore what I said last night. I had a nightmare, I was upset.”

“I know. I haven't said anything to anyone,” Merlin said.

“I’m sorry. It's usually Gwen that has to deal with me when I'm like this.”

“I don't mind. Maybe I could help,” Merlin offered. He put down her unwanted draught on the table by the door.

“I doubt that.” She sounded bitter.

“I understand-” Merlin started. He closed the door behind him and reconsidered his words. “-realize how frightening all this must be for you. Especially for you.”

“Why especially for me?”

“You're the King's ward. You know his hatred of magic better than anyone,” Merlin explained. “You’ve been raised with it.”

“So you do know enough to think it’s magic!” Morgana said angrily. 

“I really wouldn't know, but there are people who do,” Merlin soothed.

“Who?” The special breed of desperate when you feel something eating you from the inside out. The inside grows cold, icy, and hungry to continue. The outside grows cold, slushy, and lonely. 

“What about the druids?” Merlin tried to suggest.

“None of their kind would dare show their face in Camelot.”

“No. But I know where you can find them,” Merlin said. “Take a trip out of the castle. Tell the king you need to clear your head, get out of the castle because of the fire.

“Don’t tell anyone where you’re going, even someone coming with you. Tell the king it’s so that no one can follow you or get to where you’re going before you do. You can get to the druids and they can help you.”

“That’s a wonderful idea, Merlin.” Morgana thought for a moment. “I’ll tell Gwen to take a trip somewhere so I can have the excuse to take you with me.”

“I don’t need to come with you,” Merlin tried to explain.

“But you do, Merlin,” Morgana said, more sure of herself with a plan of action in mind. “I can see the want in your eyes. Besides, Uther wouldn’t let me go alone.”

“All right.”

The next morning, Morgana explained the trip to her father. Uther thought it was a wonderful idea for her, though he didn’t like the lack of guards joining her. Morgana wouldn’t let him fight her on it though. She brought a dagger and a sword with her, by his orders though.

With that, Merlin began preparing the horses. He packed what they’d need to be there for just a few days. He knew that the druids would give them whatever they needed that they could give. Merlin made sure they took a wandering route when they left, making it difficult for anyone to follow them. He made sure to have the wind blow leaves on the path behind them whenever Morgana looked away from him.

Morgana didn’t talk to him much. She was too wrapped up in the thoughts of her own mind.

“What are we going to do when we get there?” She asked as Merlin came back from watering the horses.

“You’re going to talk to them,” Merlin said. “See if they have any answers to your questions.”

“And what if they can’t answer them?” Morgana asked.

“I think that’s an eventuality we can’t really plan for unless we get to it. We could ask them who might have the answers you need if they don’t have them,” Merlin said, the ideas popping into his head as he said them.

Morgana hummed to herself.

Not long after, the whispering started. Whispering in Merlin’s head that overwhelmed his senses. He closed his eyes and tried to focus the noise. Her heard Mordred’s voice. The overwhelmingness ended. Merlin guided their horses in the direction of that voice.

They traveled barely an hour longer when a man in a red cloak came out of a rock overhang.

“What is your business here?” he asked.

Before either could answer a little boy comes running down the path.

“Morgana!” he shouted. He stopped just short of their horses.

“Mordred!” the red cloaked man scolded.

Merlin dismounted his horse and Morgana followed his lead. “Morgana has questions she needs answered.”

The man nodded. “I’m Aglain.”

Merlin extended his hand, glancing at Mordred. “I’m Merlin.”

‘Emrys,’ Mordred spoke in Merlin’s mind.

Merlin glared at the child gently.

“Do you remember me?” Merlin asked, trying to sound natural. “I’m Merlin.”

Mordred nodded.

Aglain welcomed then into the camp. He explained how Mordred had heard them coming and allowed Merlin to set up two tents for Morgana and him. Merlin encouraged Morgana to walk around and speak to the druids. Merlin took a seat, watching all the magic in the air.

Mordred had come back from somewhere else after a while and took a seat by him.

“So what have you been up too?” Merlin asked.

“Aglain took me in,” Mordred explained shortly. He didn’t say anything else.

“You’re a quiet kid, you know that?” Merlin joked. Mordred didn’t really appreciate that. “Can everyone hear it when you speak through your mind?” Merlin asked.

‘No,’ Mordred told him in his head. ‘I can pick who hears me. You could probably hear anyone though, Emrys.’

Merlin closed his eyes as he had in the forest. He listened for the voices. He heard druids discussing what was for dinner. He heard children playing pretend. He heard everything in whispers.

“That was unpleasant,” Merlin said when he opened his eyes.

‘Everything takes practice.’

“Should I bother?” Merlin asked.

‘Yes, Emrys.’ Mordred said.

“Okay, Mordred,” Merlin said softly.

Morgana sat down with Merlin to eat their dinner together that night.

“I want to stay here,” Morgana said. There was a slight hopelessness in her voice that told Merlin she knew she couldn’t.

“Me too,” Merlin muttered.

“Really?” Morgana asked.

“It’s peaceful here. No plots to kill Arthur. No Arther throwing things at me.” He added on that last bit as a half thought.

“But we can’t,” she sighed.

“No, we can’t.” Merlin agreed, sounding just as miserable. “Is it magic?”

“Yes,” she told him. “I’m a seer. I was born with it.”

Merlin hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll do whatever I can to keep it from Uther.”

“Thank you, Merlin,” she said.

They ate their soup in silence. They slept peacefully that night. No fear of death hanging over either of their heads for just one night.

In the morning, Morgana continued speaking with druids, trying to soak up any information that might help her.

Merlin spent the day walking around with Mordred. He had nothing better to do. The kid didn’t seem to have any friends. Most of the children in the camp were either too old to think him a friend or too young to talk too. Mostly Mordred was just asked to help out with chores. Merlin did his best to pitch in whenever Mordred was asked too do anything.

‘Do all the druids here know I’m Emrys?’ Merlin tried to ask through his magic as the two carried bundles of sticks up a hill.

‘Only some,’ Mordred answered. ‘People you met before you started concealing your magic.’

‘Concealing my magic?’ Merlin asked. He’d started getting the hang of the talking through out the day.

‘You’ve hidden it Emrys,’ Mordred said. ‘I can’t feel your magic anymore.’

‘Oh.’

Merlin asked Mordred about different people in the druid camp, trying to find every excuse to try and practice the new skill.

Morgana, Merlin, and Mordred ate their breakfast, lunch, and dinner together that day.

Mordred said barely anything out loud all day until he called the three of them a “bundle of Ms” between bites to stew. Morgana talked about what she’d learned that day.

“We meditated for a few hours,” she told him. “They told me it will help keep the nightmares away, but it won’t do much for the visions.”

“So what are you doing about the visions?” Merlin asked.

“They told me I should practice doing magic,” Morgana said. Merlin looked perplexed. “I’ll find a way not to be disturbed of course, but basically I’m supposed to practice a spell until I get it right.”

She held up a piece of paper. “They gave me this list,” she explained. “I’m going to hide it somewhere when I’m not using it. They’re simple spells. Like doing addition.”

Merlin nodded. “Want me to help you hide it?” he asked. He knew the pressure he was putting on her mentally to hide it well was hypocritical. How many times had the guards been searching the castle when his magic books were lying open on the floor. He’d found a place to hide them away now, in his floor boards, but still.

“Possibly,” Morgana said.

They ate for a few minutes in silence.

Morgana glanced at Mordred then back to Merlin. “I don’t feel so alone here.”

“I know how you feel,” Merlin said.

“Where does Uther’s hatred of magic come from?” Morgana said rhetorically.

Merlin hummed. Sometimes he wished he knew what went on in the old kings head. Sometimes just the thought of what might be going on up there brought tears to Merlin’s eyes.

Merlin and Morgana both spent wonderfully dreamless sleeps in their tents. Free of the tension and fear that came from being magic within Camelot’s walls. Morgana woke up to Mordred sleeping next to her, clinging to her arm.

It was a pity they’d decided to leave that morning. It’d be rude to stay longer. They’d already gotten most of their things prepared to leave the night before. They wished to return to Camelot before night fell. Morgana and Merlin made their goodbyes after a warm breakfast in the early morning sun. Mordred gave them both a hug goodbye.

‘You both should come back,’ Mordred told Merlin hopefully.

‘I’ll try,’ Merlin told the boy.

Merlin didn’t care what the stupid dragon said about anything. Destiny was noting set in stone based on how he talked about it, why should obeying his instincts to prevent a bad one cause it. If someone is destined to kill someone, you should simply try to avoid giving them a reason to do so.

“Return when you run out of spells,” Aglain told Morgana.

She nodded and mounted her horse. The two set off down the path to get back to a place that felt a little less welcoming, and a little more like something they’re supposed to call home.

Merlin did the same thing he’d done on the way there. He covered their tracks so that no one could follow them back to the druids. The journey home felt simpler. It also felt far too short. They were home before dinner. Neither one of them seemed to appreciate that.

Morgana headed straight to her chambers, she knew she’d have to change and dine with her father that evening. He’d want to know about their trip.

Merlin unpacked the horses and took what belonged to Morgana back to her chambers. Then he headed to his room to drop off his own things before checking in on Arthur.

When Merlin knocked on the door and subsequently got a dish thrown at him when he entered, he knew that that was probably the most welcome home he’d get given the state of the prince’s chambers.

“There are other servants, you know,” Merlin said. Immediately beginning the job of tidying.

Arthur ignored him.

“Did you catch the intruder?” Merlin asked, trying to cheer the prince up somehow.

“Everyone questioned had a proper alibi,” the prince said, bored.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hunt, a capture, and a retrieval.

It was only after Merlin returned to Camelot and gone to bed himself that he properly labeled the feeling he had while staying with the druids. Community.

He’d finally for once in his life felt like he could properly be part of the community. In Ealdor, he knew everyone’s faces and everyone knew his. He helped with the chores, he lent a hand with whatever needed it. But he could never use his magic in front of everyone for fear of Camelot finding out and deciding that the magic was too close to their borders, or Essetir finding out and Cenred’s men coming to enslave him for use of his magic.

In Camelot, he knew all the servants’ faces and chipped in on their chores when he could manage it. He had the opportunity to practice medicine with Gaius. He could help the townspeople when he needed too. But he couldn’t finish being himself. He couldn’t show off new spells he’d learned, couldn’t tell his friends of his worries new and old.

In the druid camp, if he’d stayed, everyone would have known who he was. They would have been able to know them. He already felt closer too the idea of them all then anyone in Camelot it seemed. The druids knew his fear. They’d felt his fear and his worry. It would have been nice if it could have been forever.

^*^

It’s one of those days when Merlin is feeling homesick for a home he’d never truly known, when Merlin found himself somehow collecting fire wood. It wasn’t his job and he didn’t have any reason to do it, yet the prince had ordered him to do it and thus it was his job.

After dropping a considerable amount of the wood he’d collected, he sat down on a log. He looked out over the hill at the smoke rising out of a fire in the valley bellow.

“Hors, beride þá heofonum.” His eyes flashed gold and the smoke shifted shape. It turned into a galloping horse for only a few moments before it vanished. 

“Did you see it? The smoke, did you see it?” a woman who rushed up to him asked. 

“Saw what?” he asked. He hoped his fear wasn’t audible. 

“Are you blind? You were right here! It was magic. There's sorcery here. We must tell the King,” the woman said, clearly panicked. 

She immediately ran off. Merlin left the wood behind to chase after her, perhaps to convince her otherwise. Unfortunately then she was before the king. She told him of the sorcery and Uther announced that at Witchfinder would be coming. 

The word make Merlin’s bones cold.

“How many times, Merlin?! How many times must I drive it into that thick skull of yours that your magic is a secret to be guarded with your life?! What were you thinking?!” Gaius scolded harshly.

“I wasn’t thinking,” Merlin said. “I just felt so… tired. It was just a bit of fun.”

“It was magic, and it was seen,” Gaius pressed. 

“Yes, and I do regret it now, thank you,” Merlin snapped.

“You must hide the book. Anything that can connect you to sorcery in any way,” Gaius told him. Merlin leaned against the table for a moment. “Now.”

“All right.” Merlin stood up to make sure that the book was properly hidden. 

“The man that Uther has sent for, I know him,” Gaius said. 

“The Witchfinder?” Merlin asked. He traced where the loose floorboards met and sealed it with magic. He didn’t know how the spell would hold up against anything, but it was something. 

“His name is Aredian. He is a force to be reckoned with,” Gaius warned. 

“So no late night trips to see the dragon then?” Merlin joked. He knocked on the floor board, it didn’t squeak, he hoped that was enough. 

“Yes, absolutely none of those.”

The first time Merlin met Aredian was two days later when he was delivering medicine to the lower town with Gaius. Someone called out for Gaius, Merlin turned around with him. 

“I never forget a face,” Aredian said.

“Nor I, Aredian,” Gaius said.

“A physician now, I hear. You always did have a thirst for knowledge,” Aredian said. 

Merlin’s chest got tight. 

“Scientific knowledge,” Gaius clarified. 

“Of course.”

“My assistant, Merlin,” Gaius introduced. Aredian nodded. “May your investigation prove fruitful, Aredian. However, you'll have to excuse us, we have work to do.” 

“Naturally,” Aredian said. The two turned around to walk don’t the street to the next house. “Merlin?” Merlin turned back around. “I have a few questions I would like you to answer. Please be at my chambers in an hour.”

Merlin nodded stiffly and continued down the street with Gaius. 

“That inkwell really says a lot about your personality,” Merlin said an hour later when he took a seat in Aredian’s chambers.

Aredian ignored his comment with barely a glance up from what he was writing. ”You are aware, then, that sorcery has been practiced in the vicinity of Camelot?”

“Apparently.” Merlin sat stiffly, not wanting to irritate this man further and draw his ire anymore than he had. 

“No, no, it cannot be denied. There was a witness.” Merlin nodded. “Do you also know that the woman has named you as a witness?” Merlin hesitated to speak. “I’ve already spoken to her. She was quite clear on the matter.”

“But I wasn't a witness.”

“Oh, sorry. Perhaps I misheard. Do you deny that you were present at the time of the incident?”

“No, I, I was there,” Merlin tried to clarify. “I just didn’t see anything other than smoke.”

“Are you saying that she lies?” Aredian asks. 

“Not at all,” Merlin said. “I just wasn’t looking when she was, I guess.”

“Unless it was you who performed the magic,” Aredian said.

“It wasn’t.”

“Can you prove that?” Aredian asked.

“Are you asking me to prove a negative?” Merlin asked. 

“No, of course not. You may go.” Merlin stood up. “For now.”

Merlin rushed to Morgana’s chambers as soon as he’d left Aredian’s office. She had to be warned about what Aredian might do. He hoped her mediating would be enough to keep her cooler than he was in the face of Aredian’s questioning should she need it.

He knocked on her door.

“Merlin,” she greeted, letting him in.

“Aredian just questioned me,” he told her as he passed her.

“Really? Why?” Morgana asked.

“He wanted to know what I’d seen,” Merlin said. “Then he accused me of sorcery.”

“What!”

“I thought I should warn you,” he explained. “Whatever he says to you, keep calm and act like—”

“Wait, he accused you of sorcery,” Morgana interrupted, clearly concerned.

“Only mildly. He’s got no reason to have done so in full force,” Merlin said.

“Good,” Morgana said and released a shaky breath in relief.

“Just be careful around him. He’s got no reason to suspect you unless you show fear.”

Morgana nodded. She opened the door for him to leave. She fidgeted with her necklace. Merlin exited her chambers but before he’d gotten to the end of the hall he heard a guard nock on her door and ask her to go to the throne room. Merlin decided to go there himself.

He was glad he did. Aredian had three women there to describe acts of sorcery they’d seen. The three girls were in tears and explained the odd things they’d seen.

“The sorcerer? You have a suspect?” Uther asked.

Merlin glared at the floor.

“Oh, I do, My Lord. I regret to say, they stand among us in this very room. My methods are infallible, my findings incontestable! The facts point to one person and one person alone: the boy, Merlin!” Aredian said.

Everyone sat in stunned silence. Morgana started laughing.

“Merlin?” she and Arthur said at the same time.

“You can't be serious,” Arthur added. 

“That is quite possible the most unreasonable accusation you could have made,” Morgana said, taming herself from her laughter.

“You have no evidence!” Gaius said.

“The tools of magic cannot be hidden from me. I am certain that a thorough search of the boy's chamber will deliver us all we need.”

“Merlin?” Uther asked. 

“Why should his chambers be searched if there’s no reason too think he’s done magic?” Morgana asked.

“I have nothing to hide from him,” Merlin said calmly.

Uther ignored Morgana. “Very well. Guards, restrain the boy. Let the search begin.”

Morgana came down to the dungeons just a few minutes after Merlin had been thrown into the cell.

“There searching Gaius’ chambers,” Morgana said. “They can’t do this it’s not fair.”

“I’ll be all right, Morgana,” Merlin tried to assure her. His false comforts fell on deaf ears.

“Why would he search Gaius’ chambers?” Merlin asked moments later.

“You live there, don’t you?” Morgana asked.

“Only technically. How would Aredian even know that?” Merlin wondered. “Why wouldn’t he search my chambers first?” 

Morgana paused and thought for a moment. “I’ll bring that to Uther’s attention,” she said. She nodded and strode out of the dungeon. 

Minutes later, Arthur was there. 

“You're free to go,” he said. 

Arthur left before Merlin could ask what was going on. Merlin was dragged out by the guard. He passed Gaius in the hallway. 

Fuck. No. Oh fuck. 

“Don’t do anything,” Gaius commanded harshly. 

Merlin struggled in the guard’s grip to watch Gaius pass behind him into the dungeon.

Merlin walked back to Gaius’ chambers. The place was a mess. Merlin tried not to cry as he started to clean up the broken glass. He hoped that maybe whatever Morgana was saying to the king could prove something. 

When the castle had gone to sleep. Merlin went to see the dragon. But the dragon was no help. It wasn’t entirely surprising. While the dragon usually had an answer, he was rarely of help.

^*^

Merlin was in a bad mood when he was with Arthur the next morning a few hours after breakfast.

“Are you quite all right?” Arthur asked the fifth time Merlin had dropped something and said something nasty too it.

Merlin inhaled deeply. That wasn’t quite a question he was prepared to answer. “Fine.”

“Morgana made quite a good case to my father about her suspicions against Aredian,” Arthur said. Merlin tensed. “I would have thought you’d think that a good thing.”

“Gaius is innocent.”

“I think so too, but I feel weird about it,” Arthur said.

“Don’t think to much about your emotions, sire, you’ll get a headache,” Merlin joked. 

Arthur smirked, looking at some papers. “And you’d know about that, wouldn’t you.”

After that they were called into the throne room again. Morgana stopped Merlin outside the door before he went in. 

“Aredian tried to make me implicate Gaius was the cause of my dreams,” she whispered into his ear. “I don’t think my efforts did anything to help his cause.”

Before he could answer, Morgana entered the throne room. It didn’t take long for the reason for the gathering to become clear.

Gaius was on his knees and soon he was confessing to crimes he didn’t commit. 

Then Gaius was being dragged away preparing to be burned the next morning.

Merlin rushed forward but was stopped by Arthur. Arthur dragged him all the way to the dungeons. When Merlin was let go, his fist swung loose. Arthur caught it and pined it behind Merlin’s back.

“I know you're upset. I know you're angry. It's all right. I'm not throwing you in jail,” Arthur told him, letting him go again.

“Then what are you doing?” Merlin asked. 

“I'm breaking the law.” Arthur walked to Gaius’ cell and opened it. 

“I can only give you a few minutes,” Arthur told them.

Merlin rushed forward to hug Gaius. 

“They wouldn't let me see you, there was nothing I could do,” Merlin said.

“I know,” Gaius said. “I can’t believe this.”

“Neither can I. I didn’t know you owned anything like that,” Merlin said.

“I don’t.” 

“I don’t.” Gaius looked perplexed as he pulled out of the hug.

“Then why did you say it was?” Merlin asked. 

“I was trying to protect you.” Gaius looked so old in that moment.

“But how did it get there…” Merlin whispered. “Aredian.”

“Aredian?”

“There's no other explanation.”

“But why?”

“It doesn't matter why. All that matters is, if I can prove he planted it, you're saved.”

“No. You must let this go.”

“No, you're falsely accused. I have a chance to prove that. I must take that chance,” Merlin was getting antsy, he wanted to dash out of the room and find proof as soon as he could. 

“No, Merlin. You must not. I want you to die. And die you surely will if you get too close to Aredian. He will trap you, Merlin. He will manipulate you, and without ever meaning to, you will incriminate yourself. You must let this go.”

“I’ve got Morgana’s help though. She’ll know how to prove you innocent.” Merlin dashed. 

“Merlin!” 

He ran past Arthur and up to Morgana’s chambers. He knocked on her door loudly.

She looked irritated and sad when she opened the door.

“Aredian planted the amulet, how do we prove that?” he asked hurriedly. 

Morgana let him in. She pressed her knuckles too her lips as she thought. “I’ll try to appeal to his memories of Gaius.” 

She doesn’t explain any further but told him to wait by the dungeons for at least an hour, and to follow them down if they go. 

Merlin did just that and ten minutes later they were walking into the dungeon and Merlin is trying to train behind without the king’s notice. 

“I’m going to give you a true chance to prove your innocence Gaius,” Uther said. 

Gaius looked up wearily. “Sire?”

“Where did you hide the amulet?” Morgana asked.

“I don’t understand,” Gaius said. Merlin saw Morgana’s plan clearly. 

“Answer the question, Gaius,” Uther said. “It would relieve a great deal of stress if you did so.”

“In- In a cupboard, sire,” Gaius said, trying to sound guilty.

Uther turned to the guards. “He’s innocent, release him.”

The guards came and unlocked the cell. “Arrest Aredian for treason,” Uther commanded the other guards. 

Merlin waited until they had all exited the dungeons to hug Gaius. 

“Whatever you need replacing in your chambers, I’ll pay for,” Uther said when Merlin pulled away. 

“Thank you, sire.”

Merlin brought a large meal from the kitchens, courtesy of Morgana and Arthur for himself and Gaius to eat that night. Aredian had been banished. Uther had sent word to other kingdoms of his treachery, he’d never be paid again.

“I don’t understand how that proved me innocent,” Gaius asked. 

“Morgana convinced him that if he thought you could be innocent he should prove something about it for himself,” Merlin explained. “So she got him to let her ask you where you hid the amulet.

“She knew you didn’t know where it was found so she knew it was almost certain that you couldn’t answer accurately,” Merlin said. “And she knew that would convince him of you being innocent because she told him that Aredian was threatening you with her implications as well. And if you wanted to be considered guilty for the sake of her innocents, you’d try to show your guilt.”

Merlin look a deep breath and took a bite of one of the rolls. 

Gaius relaxed as he finished speaking. “My,” he said. “That’s quite an explanation Merlin.”

Merlin sipped his water, trying to come his nerves now. He’d somehow gotten himself all wrapped up in the thought of Gaius dying again while explaining it. 

“I’m all right now, Merlin,” Gaius said, putting a hand on his ward’s.

Merlin nodded, taking a deep breath to relax himself further. 

Everything was normal for like a fucking week until some blond lady stabbed a bunch of guards during a knighting ceremony and then challenged Arthur to a duel.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A woman, a duel, and a quest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Sins of the Father

Merlin hammers out the dents in the prince’s armor. It’s dark out, though not yet dusk. “Do you know why she challenged you?” Merlin asked. It was so rare for there to be someone in Camelot that no one recognized that was not there with the explicit intention to kill Arthur.

“I’m the King's son. Perhaps she believed she will prove herself.” Arthur paced back and fourth in front of the table where Merlin was working. 

“Yeah, but you don't want to fight her, do you?” Merlin asked. He used a rag to polish the bits he had just hammered. 

“I have no choice. If I refuse to fight her, I'm a coward. If I kill her, what am I then?” Merlin gives him a look, briefly before returning to his polishing. “What is it?” Arthur props his arms up on the back of one of his more impressive chairs. The place where he sits always. 

“You've never faced a woman in combat. What if you hesitate? She could use that to her advantage.” Merlin polished furiously as he spoke.

“You think she's going to defeat me.” It was the exact ire Merlin feared when he had spoken that observation. Arthur didn’t appreciated when being accused of being lesser than the opposite sex.

“I’m just saying, you need to be cautious, because it sounds like she's pretty handy with a sword,” Merlin tried to explain. He hoped that Arthur didn’t feel too insulted. He hopped it didn’t give him extra chores. 

“Since when do you know anything about combat?” Arthur walked to the other side of the room and leaned against a ledge on his wall. He looked out to the courtyard where Morgause had been practicing her stances a few minutes prior. “I need you to take a message to Morgause for me. If I'm seen to do it, it could be viewed as cowardice. You must persuade her to withdraw her challenge.”

Merlin sighed. At least he’d get to know the woman who’d be fighting Arthur.

Merlin didn’t knock on the door to Morgause’s room so that he didn’t alert the guards. Unfortunately, this meant as soon as he closed the door, there was a sword tip pressed to his chest.

“What do you want?” Morgause asked.

“I’m the prince’s manservant,” Merlin explained quickly. He put his hands up in surrender. “I have a message from prince Arthur.”

The sword point lowered. “What is it then?” she asked.

“He’s asking you to withdraw. He doesn’t want to fight you,” Merlin explained.

Merlin was shocked to see her clothing, She was wearing white fabric that wrapped around her chest and a sheer white tunic that probably did almost nothing for warm or to protect from the chainmail.

She looks confused. “Sounds like he should be the one to withdraw.”

“It goes against the knight’s code to do that,” Merlin said. “He’ll never do it.”

Morgause set her sword on the trunk at the end of her bed. “Then we have that in common,” she said.

Merlin truly couldn’t tell how to feel about her. She came here and killed people for the chance to fight Arthur. Yet… she seemed nice. He couldn’t tell if she was actually here to hurt Arthur like all the rest of the strangers who come to Camelot to do and was just much better at faking it than most, or if she was actually just… a nice person.

“Why are you here?”

“My reasons are not your concern.”

“They are, though,” Merlin said. “Ninety percent of the people that come to Camelot that I’ve never met before, are here to kill Arthur, Uther, or the Lady Morgana.”

Morgause sighed. “What’s your name?”

“Merlin.”

“Merlin, would it ease your worries if I told you I have no intention of anyone dying during my visit?”

“The tournament is too the death,” Merlin argued.

“Then that should tell you something about how I want the tournament to go.”

“What do you want from Arthur? To prove yourself?”

“I have no need to prove myself. I have every confidence whether or not I’m a better swordsman than him, I’ll win,” Morgause said. Before Merlin could say another word Morgause cut him off. “Merlin, you’re being a bit of a pest. Go tell the prince I’m not withdrawing and let me get some rest.”

Being called a pest stung coming from a stranger. Merlin left anyway, not feeling any need to defend himself. He returned to Arthur’s chambers, told him of her answer, finished cleaning his room, and went to bed.

The Tournament was just after breakfast the next day. Merlin dressed Arthur in his armor.

The fight was short however. Took barely five minutes for it to end with Morgause’s sword carefully poking Arthur’s chest. The two talked briefly, though Merlin couldn’t hear. Then, Morgause removed her sword, nodded at the king, and left the arena.

“What did you two talk about,” Merlin asked as he undid Arthur’s armor in his chambers.

“She asked be to promise to complete her challenge in a few days. She didn’t even tell me what the challenge was, just made sure she had my word I’d do it.” Arthur rested his head on the table in front of him.

“It could have been worse,” Merlin said. He didn’t like the idea of this challenge though. He supposed, briefly, that the challenge couldn’t be anything too deadly, otherwise she’d have just killed him in the arena.

“How could it possibly be worse?” Arthur asked.

“You could be dead.” Merlin unhooked the armor from around Arthur’s shoulders.

“It’s still humiliating,” Arthur argued.

“I know you haven’t experienced a great deal of loss,” Merlin said.

“Merlin-”

“It’s okay if people are better at things than you, is all I’m saying,” Merlin said.

Arthur groaned. “I’m supposed to be the best fighter in all the land,” he argued.

“Everyone can keep improving,” Merlin said. “She’s older than you, she’s had more time to learn.”

“Maybe her challenge is training me to be a better knight,” Arthur said, still sounding defeated.

“That’d be good, wouldn’t it?” Merlin asked.

“If she’s any good of a teacher,” Arthur said.

The next day when Merlin arrived to take Arthur’s laundry down for cleaning, there were two guards stationed there.

“Why are the guards outside the door?” Merlin asked.

“My father has confined me to my chambers and has forbidden me from accepting Morgause's challenge,” Arthur said. He was picking at the stone of the wall with a long blade. He was sitting in the window seat sideways.

“Well, maybe he's got a point,” Merlin said. “You, you don't know what she might've asked you to do.”

“I gave her my word,” Arthur said. Merlin couldn’t tell if there was another reason behind those words.

Merlin frowned. “So, I take it we're going anyway,” Merlin said, now with a basket full of laundry. 

“You're smarter than you look,” Arthur said mockingly. “Gather some supplies, we leave tonight.” Merlin started to turn toward the door. “Oh, and Merlin ...find a way to get me out of here.” Fuck.

Gathering the supplies was difficult. He didn’t know how long the journey would be. He didn’t pack tents but he packed blankets and fire starters. He tried to pack enough food but there wasn’t much he could sneak from the kitchens without someone taking notice. 

Getting Arthur out of his room was another hard part. He saw a rope in Gaius’ chambers and coiled it around is waist. He didn’t know if it’d be long enough though. Arthur, at least, seemed impressed with the ingenuity of hiding the rope under his shirt that way. 

“I’ll tie the rope around something and you can climb down. Then when you’re at the bottom, I’ll untie it and hide the rope. I can just walk down the stairs,” Merlin explained.

“Wonderful,” Arthur said. He looked around the room for something strong enough to hold his weight. He settled on the large brass vase that was standing against the wall. 

Arthur climbed down the rope, Merlin put his weight in the vase so it didn’t fall into the window. When the vase stopped resisting his weight, he leaned his head out the window to see Arthur safely one the ground.

Merlin pulled the rope back up, coiling it at he went. When he was done he dropped it into the vase. Then he exited the room, heading to the stables to get the horses. He met Arthur there and they went beyond the castle walls unnoticed.

They rode on until early morning became mid morning and they stopped for a snack, though it was closer to the idea of breakfast. Arthur ate all the cheese. They continued riding.

It was when they were at a cross roads and Arthur told his horse to go one way and it went another, that Merlin realized that the horse was the one leading the way. They had a rather intense encounter with the knights of Cornwall. Odin’s men didn’t take Kindly to them being in their territory. After Arthur thoroughly beat them all in combat with minimal support from Merlin, Merlin tried to get them to turn around again.

He didn’t enjoy the thought of Arthur accepting whatever challenge Morgause had. She’d only said she didn’t want anyone to die while she was in Camelot. That meant nothing for how she felt about him dying out here. Merlin disliked how omnipotent he’d made her in his head. She was a person, perhaps somehow a powerful one, he supposed, he was just wondering where he got that idea from.

“These woods are full of Odin’s men,” Merlin pressed. “What’s the point of going if you’ll be to injured to complete her challenge before we get there?’

“You can go back if you want to, I won't stop you,” Arthur said. 

Merlin hated the thought. “You don't know anything about Morgause! You don't know what she's gonna ask you to do! We don't even know where we're going, we're following a horse!” He said angrily. “This is ridiculous!”

“Morgause said she knew my mother,” Arthur said.

Merlin fell quiet. That was a real reason. That was a good reason. He knew Arthur’s mother had been dead for a long time, but he’d never been able to ask.

They traveled for another few hours without protest from Merlin until the two grew tired of travel. Merlin tied up the horses and started a fire. They ate what little else Merlin managed to pack. Mostly the three apples he’d packed. 

“What was your mother like?” Merlin asked tentatively.

“I never knew her. She died before I opened my eyes,” Arthur answered. He spun a stick around in his fingers, pulling of the damp bark.

“I’m sorry.” Merlin didn’t know a thing about his father either, that’s what happened when your father leaves before you’re born. 

“I barely know anything about her,” Arthur said, the sadness of a million worlds in his voice.

“Can't you ask your father?” Merlin wondered. He couldn’t ask his mother. All she did was brush the questions aside while trying to hide her sorrow. He always wondered what could have happened. 

“He refuses to talk about her.” Arthur sighed. “It must be too painful for him. Sometimes it's as if she never even existed. I still have a sense of her. Almost as though she's part of me.” Arthur couldn’t keep eye contact. 

“That's the same with my father,” Merlin jumped to say. “I never knew him. And my mother's barely spoken of him. I've got this...vague memory. It's probably just my imagination. I don’t think he was there when I was born.” Merlin tossed an acorn in to the fire, shaking his head.

“I’d do anything for even the vaguest memory,” Arthur said, an unfamiliar humbled tone of jealousy in his voice. 

“So that why you're so determined to find Morgause? To see what she knows about your mother?” Merlin tried to pull the answer out, confirm his thoughts.

“Is that so wrong?” Arthur asked. Merlin shook his head. “We should get some rest.”

When they woke up from their nap, Merlin made sure the horses were ready for travel and doused the fire. They mounted their horses and rode on.

Soon Arthurs horse led them too a lake. Unfortunately it was a cold day out, only made colder by the freezing lake water. Their horses managed to tread through the not horribly deep waters and lead them through the waterfall on the other side.

The tunnel behind the waterfall lead them to a stone fortress. They dismounted and Merlin tied up the horses. He had to rush to follow Arthur inside. The two climbed up the steps to find a room that was empty except for a stone block and an axe sitting on top of it.

“Now what?” Arthur asked. He picked up the axe and lodged it back into the wood.

“Maybe we should ask the horse,” Merlin joked. Arthur looked unimpressed.

“You kept your promise,” Morgause said, walking down a staircase on the other side of the room. 

“What is the nature of the challenge you wish to set me?” Arthur asked emotionlessly.

“Place your head on the block.” Morgause picked up the axe. She held it like an executioner. Arthur hesitated. “You gave me your word that you would do anything I asked.”

“Arthur, don’t,” Merlin warned. Arthur ignored him and kneeled to place his head on the block.

“What are you doing? I won't let you do this!” Merlin shouted. His magic started itching at his fingers in his panic. He struggled not to do something.

“Stay out of this, Merlin!” Arthur shouted back. Morgause glanced briefly at Merlin, probably still thinking him a pest.

Morgause lined up the axe with Arthur’s neck and began to swing. Merlin readied his magic, prepared to stop the swing before it hit Arthur’s neck. He reached out with his magic as the axe swung. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading <3


	5. Chapter 5

Morgause lined up the axe with Arthur’s neck and began to swing. Merlin readied his magic, prepared to stop the swing before it hit Arthur’s neck. He reached out with his magic as the axe swung. 

It stopped. Before it had completed it’s arc, Morgause leaned the handle of the axe against the woodblock. 

Arthur rushed to his feet as Morgause walked away from the block. “You have shown that you are truly a man of your word, Arthur Pendragon, and for that I will grant you one wish. Tell me what it is that your heart most desires,” Morgause said. 

“You said you knew my mother. Tell me all that you know about her,” Arthur said.

“Perhaps you would like to see her,” Morgause said. 

The bait was clear now. Morgause was a sorceress. She was plotting something.

“I want that more than anything.” The desperation in Arthur’s voice was so familiar. It sounded like the voice from when he was a child wanting to know why all the other kids got a mom and a dad. The voice that still lived in his chest, though it was buried down as deep as he could push it.

“As you wish.”

Somehow the sky above them in the courtyard she led them to was so cloudy it seemed like it was night time. Merlin could barely see the sun far away through the clouds. 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Merlin asked, standing at Arthur’s side. 

“If you were granted the same opportunity, would you not want to meet your father?”

Merlin couldn’t answer that. “Uther won't forgive you if he finds out you've collaborated with a sorcerer,” Merlin reminded him.

“What if my father's attitude to magic is wrong?”

Merlin was stunned. How, how could Arthur be thinking that? “You really think that?” Could Merlin really hope?

“Perhaps it's not as simple as he would have us believe. Morgause is a sorcerer, she has caused us no harm. Surely not everyone who practices magic can be evil.” He said the words like they were desperate thoughts bursting in his mind. Thoughts trying to escape a deep dark pit that they’d been shoved in. Someone had dropped a ladder down it.

“We don't actually know why she's doing this,” Merlin said. 

Morgause was finally finished lighting the candles. “It is time,” she said before blowing out her match. It seemed every surface in the room was covered with candles. Merlin could feel the gateway between worlds thinning. Something about the magic in the air that shifted so specifically. Like ghosts trying to press through a film. 

Morgause held out her hand to draw Arthur closer. She turned him back towards Merlin. “Close your eyes.” Hesitantly, Arthur closed his eyes. Merlin took a few steps backward. 

“Arásae mid min miclan mihte þín suna to helpe. Hider eft funde on þisse ne middangeard þín suna w'æs,” Morgause cast. The wind started blowing, rustling the ivy. Then the ivy slowed, resting in mid air. 

Merlin didn’t know if he was supposed to be able to see the spell at work. But when Arthur opened his eyes, a woman with blond hair and eyelashes stood in front of him.

It was heartwarming at first to see mother and sun reunited for the first time in their live and afterlife. Then the guilt spilled out of both of them, along with the tears. Then the blame was placed.

Blame on placed on Uther.

Blame on Nimueh.

Arthur was born of magic.

Uther knew of the exchange of life. To create a life with magic, a life must be taken with magic. 

It was a heartbreaking exchange between a mother and a son who never met.

All of a sudden, the wind came rushing back, then settled. Arthur opened his eyes.

“No! Bring her back!” Arthur reached out into the air, but there was nothing to grab. 

“I cannot. Once the doorway is closed, it is closed forever.” Morgause approached Arthur, but he was unaware of her presence there. “ I am truly sorry that your learnt of your mother's fate in this way. I can only imagine how it must feel to discover your father is responsible for her death. It is an unforgivable betrayal.”

Morgause strode out of the courtyard. Their interaction was over. Merlin felt like crying.

“Are you all right? Arthur?” Merlin asked. He could see the hate in Arthur’s eyes. He looked so uncomfortable standing there in his terrible armor. Merlin wanted nothing more than to hug his friend. 

“Fetch the horses. We're returning to Camelot,” Arthur commanded. He was numb to everything. 

Once they were back on the horses, they were pushing them harder than their journey there. 

Arthur wouldn’t speak. He wouldn’t do anything. He didn’t respond to anything Merlin said. Merlin didn’t know how to say much of anything.

They entered the castle courtyard. Arthur dismounted and withdrew his sword, leaving the horses for the guards. 

“What are you going to do?” Merlin asked. Arthur either couldn’t hear him or didn’t want too, he was too busy rushing up the castle steps. 

Merlin went to find Gaius. He needed to know if it was all a trick. 

It only took a moment to find him. “Merlin. I'm relieved to see you're safe. Where's Arthur?” Gaius asked. 

“Arthur was born of magic. Wasn't he? Uther used magic,” Merlin asked.

“Merlin—” 

“All those people he's executed. He’s as guilty as they are. He sacrificed Arthur's mother! He as good as murdered her!” Gaius looked ashamed. “People should know the truth about what he's done. How could you not tell me?” An angry tear ran down Merlin’s face.

“I feared what Arthur would do if he ever found out,” Gaius said.

“Terrible fucking reason not to tell me,” Merlin said. Then it clicked. Morgause’s plan. Get Arthur to kill the king. “He’s found out now. Come on!”

Merlin broke out into a sprint. He rushed back out into the courtyard.

Merlin ran up the castle steps and sprinted through the hallways. He ran up the iron spiral staircase. He rushed through the criss crossing corridors. He navigated the labyrinth of the castle to arrive minutes later at the room where the king spent most of his time.

Leon stood outside the door, blocking his way in. Merlin rushed forward, only to be knocked back. He rushed forward again. Leon wouldn’t budge. The third time, Leon pinned him against the wall.

“The King has forbidden anyone to enter!” Sir Leon told him harshly.

“They're going to kill each other!” Merlin shouted. He could hear the commotion inside. Leon looked horrified.

“Arthur! Don’t!” Merlin cried out as Leon finally let him into the room.

Arthur looked ferrel. He had his sword pinned to the king’s chest, his hand kept the king pressed up against his chair. 

“I know you don’t want to do this!” Merlin shouted at him. 

“My mother is dead because of him!” Arthur said, his teeth were gritted to tight in anger that it muffled his words.

“Killing your father won't bring her back,” Merlin pleaded. “You've lost one parent. Do you really want to lose another?” Arthur looked to be at his breaking point. If he weren’t holding the king at sword point, Merlin would expect him to be sobbing. 

“Listen to him, Arthur,” the king said tensely. Arthur only gripped his sword firmer at those words, ready to plunge the sword down into his father’s heart. 

Once again, all Merlin wanted to do was to hug his friend. “Arthur, please, put the sword down.” 

“You heard what my mother said!” Arther argued. “After everything he has done, do you believe he deserves to live?! He executes those who use magic, and yet he has used it himself! You have caused so much suffering and pain! I will put an end to that!” 

Merlin was on the brink of tears himself. He heard Gaius’ quiet footsteps behind him. He couldn’t help but think of the dragon in the caverns far below.

“This has been Morgause’s plan all along! To turn you against your father. And if you kill him, the kingdom will be destroyed! This is what she wants!” Merlin said. Arthur’s will barely shifted. His whole body was shaking with rage and so was the sword pressed to the king’s chest.

“Is this really how you want to become king!” Merlin asked, pleaded, demanded.

This barely managed to break Arthur away from his rage. Merlin could see the shift though. 

Arthur lowered his swords. Looking angry and defeated by himself. There was no perfect to solution to his problem. 

Arthur left the room unrestrained. The king sat there in stunned silence. Gaius approached him as Merlin left the room. He followed Arthur to his chambers.

Arthur was sitting at his table, once again looking numb in his anger. Merlin did what he knew best, he started taking off the prince’s armor.

Carefully he took of every piece, piece by piece. When he was done, he lifted the chainmail over Arthur’s shoulders. 

“Why are you crying?” Arthur asked. 

Merlin hadn’t realized he was. He wiped away the tears. “I-I don’t know,” he breathed out.

Arthur pressed his face into his gloved hands. Merlin picked up his discarded sword from the floor and put it on the table. When Arthur pulls his hands away from his gloves, Merlin could see the slight wet marks on them.

So Merlin did what he’d been wanting to do for the last four hours. He made Arthur stand up, and he gave him a hug. At some point Arthur’s arms raised to return it.

“Thank you for stopping me,” Arthur said a minute later.

“That’s what I’m here for isn’t it?” Merlin asked. 

Arthur laughed slightly. “I suppose a bit, yes.” Arthur withdrew his arms slightly. 

Merlin pulled away. “Do you want me to get Morgana?” He asked. “I think she’ll want to say something.”

“Explain to her what you can,” Arthur said, taking a seat again. 

Merlin nodded and left the room. 

The trip to Morgana’s room was quick. He stepped inside.

Gwen wasn’t in the room. “What is it, Merlin?” Morgana asked. “Has Arthur returned safely?”

“Yeah,” Merlin said. “Everyone’s safe.”

“What is it then?”

“Arthur wants to talk to you,” Merlin said. “But first I’m supposed to tell you what happened.”

“And what exactly happened?” Morgana pondered, smiling.

“Morgause tried to set Arthur up to kill Uther, for starters,” Merlin said. “That’s the big picture.

Morgana looked down at a bracelet on her wrist and slowly took it off.

“She let Ygrain’s ghost come through to talk to him,” Merlin said. “She told him that Uther used magic in his birth and that’s what killed her.”

Morgana inhaled sharply. “Seems a rather good reason to kill the king.”

“Yes it does,” merlin quickly agreed, trying to move past that. “Arthur almost did, but I got him not too.”

“How?” Morgana asked.

“I asked him if that’s how he wanted to become king,” Merlin said, he shrugged.

Morgana smiled warmly. “That did the trick?”

“Yeah. Anyway, he’s sitting in his room now,” Merlin said. “He’s got a very different perspective on magic then the king does…” 

Morgana looked shocked. “He thinks magic can be a force for good?”

“Yes.” Merlin smiled at her. He lightly grabbed her wrist to guide her out the door.

They strode out the door, Morgana dropping something metal on her night stand. Soon they were in Arthurs room.

Morgana repeated some of the story Merlin had told her back to Arthur. Arthur went into further detail.

“Arthur,” Morgana said. “I’ve got something to tell you.”

Arthur looked perplexed. “What is it?”

Morgana swallowed. “Those dreams I have… they’re not normal dreams. They’re visions of the future.”

“I don’t understand.” Arthur shook his head, his eyebrows pressed together.

“I’m a seer, Arthur,” she explained. “I’ve got magic.” She lit the candle that was sitting on the table.

Morgana finished explaining her magic to Arthur, he accepted it hesitantly. Morgana explained to him that it wasn’t a choice she was drawn to out of a want for power, it was just something that was happening to her. Something that she was learning how to control to preserve her safety. She explained it’s unpredictability. She explained it’s warmth.

“Thank you, for trusting me, Morgana,” Arthur said. He gripped her hands firmly. 

Merlin wished he could be the one telling Arthur of the beauty of magic. But the thought of telling him now left a sick feeling in his chest. Time needed to heal some wounds first.

Merlin left the room as Arthur did. Arthur already understood that Merlin knew about Morgana’s magic. 

“Come back to my chambers with me, Merlin,” Morgana requested. She walked down the hallway and he followed. When they entered the room she picked up what she’d put down when they left. “Morgause gave me this.” She held up a silvery bracelet cuff with cold etchings. “She said it would help with my nightmares, and it did.”

Merlin looked at it. He gently took it from her hands and examined it. “I don’t see anything special about it.” He hated the lying. He could feel the magic in it, he didn’t know what it was though. “I’d keep it locked away somewhere, just to be safe.” He handed it back to her.

“You think it could be harmful?” Morgana asked.

“Morgause tried to get Arthur to kill the king. Anything that’s hers could be harmful. I wouldn’t trust it not to be syphoning your magic or something,” Merlin said. 

“You keep it then.” Morgana shoved it back into his hands. “I don’t trust myself not to use it.”

“Is the meditating helping at least?” Merlin asked.

“Slowly,” Morgana said. “That bracelet is far to quick a cure not to tempt me though.”

Merlin nodded. “Have a nice dinner,” he said, leaving the room.

“Thank you, Merlin.”

He dropped off the bracelet in his room, hiding it under the floor boars with his other magical items. Then he went to get Arthur’s dinner. 

The animosity between the king and the crown prince was stuck there. Everything else had settled to the ground after the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watcha think?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Merlin, are you harboring another fucking druid?”

When Merlin saw the scared girl shivering in a wet cage, he ignored Gaius’ advice. He didn’t go to the dragon for advice either. He didn’t care if the girl was going to be some big piece of destiny, he just wanted to save her. So he did.

He unlocked the cage, he unlocked her cuffs, and he brought her down into the the tunnels.

“Why did you do that?” the girl asked him.

“What?”

“Help me.” The tone of ‘I’m not worth saving’ was clear in her tone. It made Merlin’s throat tight.

“Well, I saw you and...it could've been me in that cage.” The girl glanced at him, but didn’t keep eye contact. “You'll be safe down here. I'll come back in the morning with some food and candles. Will you be all right till then?”

She nodded. 

“I’m Merlin, by the way.”

“I’m Freya.” Her voice was so faint. 

Merlin silently offered her his jacket. She took it and wrapped herself in it like a blanket. 

“I’ll see you in the morning, Freya.” Merlin started walking out. 

At the last second the girl called out. “Thank you.”

Merlin gave her a friendly nod. 

The next morning he put on his jacket, woke Arthur up and told him he needed to speak to Morgana. 

“I’d wait until she was awake if I were you,” Arthur said.

“She asked to see me early in the morning,” Merlin lied.

Arthur shrugged. “Well all right.” He got up and started eating his breakfast. Merlin began to leave. “Before you go, Merlin, tell Damien I want a bath.” 

Merlin nodded. Damien was one of the servants that didn’t miscellaneous tasks like collecting large amounts of water and heating it for baths. 

He found Damien quickly, he was sweeping the corridors near the courtyard. Merlin told him of the princes wishes, and went off to see the lady Morgana. 

She let him into her chambers soon after he’d knocked on the door. He waited for he to close the door behind him before he spoke.

“Do you want to help me sneak another druid out of Camelot?” Merlin asked her. 

“Merlin, what?” Morgana said, not yet processing what he’d said.

“I’m harboring a druid, again, will you help me get her to safety?” Merlin asked.

“Of course,” Morgana said. She turned to Gwen who was listening and looking like she wasn’t sure if she was allowed too. “Gwen can you fetch double my usual breakfast please?” 

Gwen did her gentle curtsey as she nodded and left the room. 

“What happened?” Morgana asked.

“A bounty hunter had her in a cage. I unlocked it and got her out,” Merlin explained. “I’ve hid her in the tunnels.”

Morgana went pale. “A bounty hunter?”

“I know they’re dangerous, but the sooner we get her out of Camelot, the less time we have to be worried she’ll be found,” Merlin said.

“Bounty hunters are brutal, Merlin,” Morgana said. “Their hunt for money doesn’t stop at bloodshed.”

Merlin nodded cautiously. “So what can we do? Do you have any ideas about getting her out.”

“First you’re going to bring her the food Gwen’s brining,” Morgana said. “Then we’ll figure out how we’ll get her out. We have to know if there will be extra guard out first.”

Merlin nodded. He waited until Gwen returned. He took the food she gave him and brought it down to Freya.

Freya ate the food with a desperation only known to Merlin in the harshest of winters. When she was done eating, Merlin told her of the plan to get her free. 

“We’ve got to go far far away,” Freya said. “I shouldn’t be around people.”

“Do you really think that?” Merlin asked.

“Yes,” Freya answered. She seemed far too confident in her answer to argue with her.

“Okay then.” Merlin nodded. I’ll be back soon with more food and candles.

He didn’t like leaving her alone in the dark, but he’d forgotten the candles. On his way back to the castle, the guards had everyone stop. They had to be inspected by the bounty hunter. Merlin hoped he wasn’t recognized.

Merlin wasn’t, he headed back to Morgana’s chambers.

“They’ve added extra guards within the citadel, but no extra patrols in the forests,” Morgana told him.

“That’s good,” Merlin said. “We can get her out the same way we took Mordred.”

Morgana shook her head. “They’ve got to many guards on post there tonight. We’ll take her to the outer circle of the citadel from the tunnels and then take her through the wall.”

Merlin nodded. Gwen entered the room with a small bag. She showed him its contents.

“Take it to the druid,” she said, “it should last a few days.”

Merlin left the bag in Morgana’s room and returned to Arthur’s. He brought him his lunch and made sure he wouldn’t need him for training later.

“Why?” Arthur asked.

Merlin hesitated to answer, trying to come up with a plausible enough like. “I’m going to have a picnic with Gwen,” he thought up quickly.

Arthur gave him an odd look, not one of disbelief at least. “All right. You can go now.”

Merlin nodded. He left Arthur’s chambers and stopped my Morgana’s. He picked up the bag of bread, dried meats, and cheeses. Off he went, back to Freya.

He couldn’t help but keep looking over his shoulder as he walked down the less than busy street. This was a mistake. He ran into the bounty hunter’s chest and almost spilled the food from the bag.

The bounty hunter called for the guards. They dragged him to some kind of interrogation chamber above the entrance to the dungeons. The guards held him firmly by his jacket. The bounty hunter grabbed the bag out of his hands and dumped it on the ground. Merlin winced.

The bounty hunter wanted an explanation.

“I’m just going on a picnic with a friend,” Merlin said, calling upon his earlier lie.

“Really?” the bounty hunter said. He stepped forward, not as tall compared to Merlin as he’d originally thought. “The druid girl I’m looking for, have you seen her?”

Merlin shook his head, trying to lean away from the stink of the man’s breath. “No.”

“Do you know how much money she’s worth to me?” he growled. Merlin shoot his head, again, trying to get away from the ever closer face. “More than your life. So I’ll ask you again nicely, have you seen the druid girl?”

Merlin shook his head again. “No.”

The bounty hunter shoved Merlin back into the chair behind him. The guards pressed his shoulders to it’s back. “I think you’re lying to me.” The bounty hunter swung his chains around threateningly.

“I’m not,” Merlin said, basically pleading now. Fuck if this was going to be the end of him. All his work keeping Arthur alive, lost for some stupid act of heroism.

The bounty hunter clearly thought that was funny. “I don’t believe you.” He grinned and lunged forward, ready to swing his fist.

“Halig!” Arthur called out angrily from the hallway. This stopped the fist before it even started to come down. “What do you think you’re doing?” Arthur stalked into the room, displeasure with the bounty hunter seeping from him.

“We caught the boy behaving suspiciously, Sire,” Halig explained. 

“Merlin?” Arthur sounded unimpressed.

“He could be harboring the girl, and he's gonna tell us where,” the bounty hunter said. Merlin squeezed his eyes shut as Halig readied his fist again. He heard Arthur grab his sleeve. 

“Leave him alone.” He pulled Halig away from him. “Merlin is my servant.” He pulled Merlin away from the guards, making him stand. “He has my absolute trust.” Merlin move to stand by the door, ready to run if the need be. “If you have a problem with him, you come to me. Do you understand?” 

“Sire,” Halig bowed, frowning unpleasantly. “Goodnight, Merlin. Don’t forget your picnic.” Merlin hated how he leaned in close. 

“Thank you,” Merlin said when Halig had stalked away. 

The bounty hunter and the guards’ footsteps disappeared down the hallway. “Merlin, are you harboring another fucking druid?”

Merlin hesitated. He considered his choices. “Yes.”

“Is Morgana helping you again?”

“And Gwen.”

Arthur sighed. “You should know the girl is cursed Merlin.”

“She’s just a druid.”

“No, she was cursed by someone to turn into something. Be careful around her.” Arthur started to walk off. He turned around briefly. “And tell me when you need my help,” he added under his breath.

Merlin brought Freya the food. He told her the plan to get her out, he’d come get her when it was time to go. She looked fearful, but only a little more than usual.

When it was time, Merlin had Morgana tell Arthur where he needed to be. He’d be patrolling with most of the guards on the other side of the citadel. He’d given Merlin the keys to get through the doors in the walls of the citadel.

They set their plan in motion.

Merlin lead Freya into the woods easily. Morgana was distracting any other guards that might have gotten in their way. Gwen was there with the horses outside the wall.

Then they were in the forest.

They’d forgotten about patrols.

Freya got scared. A based was in front of Merlin in almost an instant. Freya got stabbed. She ran off into the forest. Merlin only barely managed to follow her.

She was wounded fatally. She told Merlin of her curse.

He brought her to a lake with tall mountains all around it.

“You made me feel loved,” she told him.

He boat was set alight in the middle of the lake. 

Merlin walked home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading. I loved all your comments from last chapter! they were so nice!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tired grieving.

Morgana, Gwen, and Arthur all comfort him for his loss. It stings. Merlin blames himself. The three, along with the occasional input from Gaius, do their best to help Merlin grieve the girl.

He went down to the dragon’s cavern one day.

“What is it that you seek me for today, Merlin?” the dragon asked.

Merlin took a seat. “How old are you?” he asked.

“More than a thousand years old, young warlock. Why do you ask me this?”

Merlin shook his head. “You’re too old… You’re morals come with your age… Your loneliness.”

“This may be true,” the dragon said.

“I won’t be asking you for moral advice. The sting of death is different for you… the value of life to obscured.”

“Very well, young warlock,” the dragon heaved a great sigh. “Maybe one day you’ll have to change your mind.”

“Maybe, but I’m not sure if that matter’s now,” Merlin said.

“You still must fulfill your promise to free me, Merlin.”

Merlin stood up, and left the dragon.

Days later, when Merlin’s wounds had started to heal, peace talks began. With the peace talks came two love spells Merlin didn’t know how to break. With those love spells came a tournament, no matter the winner, everyone would loose.

“I don’t know what do do,” Merlin pleaded to Gaius. He’d tried every spell to break the charm.

“Find someone who does,” Gaius suggested.

They were desperate. Merlin went to get help from the dragon.

The dragon laughed at him. It would have effected him more if he hadn’t cast aside the dragon’s moral standing a few days prior.

“There is no magic that can break this enchantment,” the dragon told him.

Merlin felt disconnected from the world around him. Desperation and fear sat itself in every nerve in his body.

“There must be!”

“It has to great a hold,” the dragon told him. “The solution lies in a force greater than you or I can understand.” Merlin struggled to hold his tongue to speed up the dragon’s riddles. “A force that has puzzled many minds. A force—”

“Just tell me!”

The dragon laughed at him again. “It is the greatest force of all. Love.”

“Love is not a force,” Merlin argued. “It cannot cause something to move.”

“Then what do you call the thing that draws people together?” The dragon asked.

“Gravity.”

The dragon laughed at him. “You must find the person Arthur most truly loves.”

“Oh, now you value human connection,” Merlin mumbled. “And then what?”

“One kiss from her will break the enchantment and he will desire Vivian no more.”

A kiss. A token of romantic or sexual love. Merlin had never been kissed before, other than the time Gwen kissed him when he turned out not to be dead. He didn’t count that though. It didn’t have any of the feeling Merlin was told a kiss should have.

Merlin got to Gwen as soon as the second round of the tournament was ending. He told her of the enchantment. He saw the look in her eyes when Merlin told her of Arthur’s love for her. He hoped it meant she loved him.

Merlin waited outside the tent for them to finish… kissing. He waited two minutes. Gwen returned to him without Arthur.

She shook her head. “It didn’t work,” she explained.

Merlin felt the fear setting into his every nerve shift. “Fuck.” He threw the princes helmet on the ground.

“Merlin,” Gwen said comfortingly. “I know that you may think Arthur and I care for each other deeply, but I don’t care for him in that way. My heart may be conflicted at the moment, but Arthur isn’t in that battle.” Gwen put a hand on Merlin’s cheek. “I think you can think of someone he cares for more than me, Merlin.”

Merlin almost started to cry. Gwen walked away. Merlin pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes hard. He couldn’t cry now. He couldn’t give up.

“The morality of a thousand year old dragon is not going match up with the morals of man,” he reminded himself. He wiped away the tears that had dripped down his cheeks.

Arthur was just walking out of the tent as Merlin entered, looking dazed. Merlin didn’t let him leave. He wrapped his arms around his friend. His left arm slipped under his friend’s right. His right went over Arthur’s shoulder.

“Merlin?” Arthur asked, sounding far less love struck than he had. “Why are you hugging me?”

Merlin pulled away. “You’re fighting Vivian’s dad to the death… and you’re loosing.”

“Fuck.”

“You were enchanted…” Merlin explained.

“Also bad.”

The horns sounded for Arthur to head back into the tournament.

Merlin was left alone with his thoughts.

How does one explain love to a dragon? He took a seat in the grass. He fell backward, looking up at the clear blue sky.

Do dragons have romance? Do they feel the love humans do?

How does a dragon who has never known romantic love and has been locked away from it’s slain kind for the past 20 years, feel about love?

It wouldn’t be accurate would it?

Merlin had somehow broken the spell on Arthur. He remembered the words the dragon had said to him when he’d thought Arthur hate hated him.

“A half cannot truly hate that which makes it whole.”

What did that mean even? His mother had once described them as two sides of the same coin. Opposites. Magic and iron. Servant and king.

So Arthur loved him. Such a strange revelation.

He’d already know that right. In some way, Arthur cared for him. In some way, Merlin was the one that he loved so much it broke through a love spell.

Merlin went to Arthur’s chambers and waited for the tournament to end there. He sat down in one of Arthur’s chairs. He closed his eyes and let his magic seep out. It somehow got held in, like a muscle kept flexed for too long.

When merlin opened his eyes, he saw the effects of the magic that had seeped out of him. Arthur’s room had become full of flowers. Ivy grew on the walls. Merlin didn’t know what to do. It was beautiful, sure, but the trees growing from Arthur’s bed would do nothing for Merlin’s cover as a perfectly normal person.

Unfortunately it seemed that uncapping his magic was one of the biggest mistakes he’d made in a while. As his worry grew for someone finding the plants, the plants only grew. They crossed over the doors. Merlin swallowed harshly.

His magic hadn’t been this out of control since the night his mother decided he needed to go to Camelot.

Roots and vines and branches. Flowers and fragrances and soil. Growing, growing, growing.

“Take control of the magic,” he thought to himself. “Meditate how Morgana told you the druids told her.”

He inhaled, schooling his breath, schooling his fear. The plants stopped growing. Good. He let the magic flow in the way he wanted it. He pulled it out of the plants, making them shrink in size. The magic returned to the air instead of himself.

The door opened just when the last flower had retreated into nothing.

“Did you clean my room?” Arthur asked. The floors were clean. The walls were clean. There wasn’t a trace of dirt or anywhere in the room.

Merlin nodded. He hadn’t. He remembered again how much he hated the lying.

Arthur commended him and told him he’d won the tournament and kept peace between the lands. Merlin got to be relieved that no one had died and that they weren’t going to war for only a few moments before Arthur asked him to get some food. So Merlin nodded and left for the kitchens.

The next day when the peace treaties had been fully settled, Merlin and Arthur sat alone in Arthur’s room.

“That was exhausting,” Arthur complained.

“What’s so special about this time?” Merlin asked, scrubbing the dirt off one of Arthur’s shoes.

“I had to act like I don’t hate my father for hours on end for the other kings,” Arthur said.

Merlin hummed. “You really hate him?”

Arthur sighed. “I think the hate Morgana and I now share for my father for his hypocrisy is one of the most reasonable emotions I’ve ever felt.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” Merlin said.

“For what?”

“That you hate your father.”

“Even if I didn’t hate him for what he did, he’d still have done it,” Arthur said. “I still can’t believe it.”

They sat in silence before Arthur stood up to change his clothes.

“The hate is duller than when I first found out. It feels more reasonable a feeling. It’s more manageable now. It’s like a pot of water on a fire that’s not hot enough to boil it.”

Merlin nodded. “Feels the same way for me too,” he said. “Although it feels like the water’s full of knives.”

Arthur laughed. “Do you hate the king, Merlin?”

“Am I allowed to answer that?” Merlin asked.

“There’s no one but me to hear it,” Arthur told him. He’d finished changing and took his seat next to Merlin again.

“Yes.”

“He’d have killed Will,” Arthur said.

Merlin felt another spike of anger. “He’d have killed me for being friends with Will.” Perhaps he said it too harshly, but Arthur didn’t scold him.

“Your hate for him is reasonable.”

“As is yours. He’d consider Morgana being a seer a crime against him.”

Arthur patted him on the shoulder. “You can finish that later. You’ve had a long day too.”

Merlin nodded and put the shoes and brush away.

“Goodnight, Sire,” Merlin said as he left the room.

“Goodnight, Merlin.”

It was. Merlin slept soundly.

“Why haven’t you killed Uther?” Merlin asked Morgana one day.

“What do you mean?” Morgana looked fearful.

“I don’t blame you for wanting too. I don’t blame you for not doing it,” Merlin said. “But just… what’s stopping you?”

“I don’t know,” Morgana said. “I guess I lack the courage.”

Morgana let them sit in silence for a moment. “What’s stopping you?”

Merlin knew the answer. “If Uther dies of unnatural causes— If Uther dies and anyone suspects it’s magic, I fear the kind of king Arthur will become. Arthur’s not ready to be king yet. He may hate his father, but he’s not ready for him to be taken away.”

Morgana nodded. “Do you think Arthur will be a good king?”

“Yes.”

Morgana smiled. “He’ll need your help thought.”

Merlin tilted his head. “My help?”

“Merlin, you’ve been making him a better man every day you’ve been in Camelot.”

“Thank you, my lady,” Merlin said.

It was Morgana’s turn to look puzzled. “Not even Arthur calls me that anymore. He and Gwen have been calling me by my name for a while now.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Please call me Morgana. Titles don’t matter with the three of you.”

Merlin smiled. “You’re going to help Arthur become a good king too.”

“Thank you, Merlin.”

They sat together in silence on the top of a hill.

“We should get going,” Merlin said.

The two got on their horses and continued their journey to the druid camp.

“I should tell you something about Gwen and I,” Morgana said.

“What is it?” Merlin asked.

“We’ve uh… We’re together.”

“Together?”

“Romantically.”

Merlin smiled. “I’m sure Uther’s not happy about that.”

“He’ll die before he knows. Besides, I couldn’t give a shit what he thinks.”

Merlin laughed.

They journey back to the druids was peaceful. Merlin heard Mordred calling out to Morgana.

Each time Merlin saw Mordred, he was less and less sure that the dragon’s warnings could be anything to worry about. Mordred was kind, he was being raised with love and sheltered from the fear that Uther had cast on the kingdom.

Merlin asked the druids of destiny during this visit. They told him of it’s fragility.

They left after one night’s nightmare-less sleep, content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do love some Morgwen


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Immovable Knights and Powerful Magic

When a traveler informed the king about the smoke coming from Idirsholas Merlin and Arthur rode out immediately, along with a band of knights to accompany them.

Gaius had told Merlin of the danger before they’d left. The forces of destruction these knights were. Merlin hoped that the legend wasn’t true. They’d been dormant for the last 300 years, Merlin hopped the knights of Idir had rotted by now. But if a sorcerer had woken them, he hoped it wasn’t up to him to kill them.

“What is it, Merlin?” Arthur asked after they’d ridden in silence for quite some time. “Don’t tell me you’ve been listening to Gaius’ bedtime stories again?”

Merlin watched their surrounding’s cautiously as they rode. He shook his head. “I’d be pleasantly surprised if it were a bedtime story.”

“What do you mean?”

“Usually when Gaius tells me of some obscure legend, it comes to fruition in the week.”

Arthur shook his head.

When it grew dark they set up camp. When it was morning, they kept riding.

The fortress was in complete ruins. Merlin couldn’t tell what he was hearing as the group entered the fortress. Was it the walls crumbling apart, or was it the magic animating the knights?

“Do you hear that?” Merlin asked.

“Hear what?” Arthur answered, on his guard.

“A sort of trembling sound,” Merlin said. He may not have been able to tell what the noise was, but he could feel the magic. He couldn’t tell what it was. It felt innate yet entirely unnatural. Like the magic in the trees at the druid camp, but corrupted and poisonous.

“It might be your knees,” Arthur jested. Merlin laughed slightly.

As they walked further into the fortress, the poisonous magic grew more suffocating. It seemed to want to wrap around Merlin’s throat and take his own magic.

They entered a room with an elevated fire pit full of ashes. That was the source of the poison, Merlin could feel it.

“Seems part of Josephs story was true,” Arthur said, touching the fresh ash. “Probably just travelers passing through.”

Merlin looked behind them, feeling more of the poison there. “Or maybe not.” Seven silent figures stood in formation behind them.

When the knights turned around the figures drew their swords. Merlin knocked over the table of ash. It did nothing. The poison disappeared from that spot, melting into the poison that had already leaked into the air.

The knights of Idir immediately started attacking. They seemed impossible. All the knights of Camelot were dead. Arthur lodged his sword in the chest one of the knights.

Merlin couldn’t tell what they were possibly made out of. They didn’t have the time. Merlin through one of the fallen knight’s swords to Arthur.

“Run, Merlin!” Arthur commanded. Merlin didn’t understand how they were the only one’s left standing.

Arthur continued to parry their hits.

“No!”

“Will you do as I say!” Arthur struggled to fight off the remaining knights.

When Arthur and Merlin were cornered by the exit, Merlin did the only thing he knew how to do. He let his magic crumble down the poisoned ceiling. It blocked the knights inside, but it wouldn’t last long. Merlin and Arthur had to sprint out. The falling stone was loud.

“What happened to your arm?” Arthur asked when they were back in the woods around the fortress.

Merlin looked. There was a light gash that had ripped through his jacket and shirt. It stung. “Must have caught on something.”

“Let me see,” Arthur said. Merlin shrugged off his jacket. “Your first battle wound.” Arthur ripped off a strip of his tunic. “Here.” Arthur quickly wrapped the wound with practiced precision. 

“Did anyone else escape?” Arthur asked, looking around.

Merlin shook his head. “I don’t see how they could have.”

“We need to get reinforcements,” Arthur said.

They rode back, getting back much quicker than it took to get to the fortress. 

Everyone was asleep. Absolutely everyone in Camelot was fast asleep. Nothing could wake them. 

“We’ve got to find the king,” Arthur said. For the first time in weeks he didn’t show the hate he’d been showing for the king. Someone was trying to take over Camelot. 

They didn’t find him in the room he normally sat in throughout the day. They found Gwen lying on Morgana’s floor. 

Something or someone was trembling behind a curtain. 

Arthur hesitantly pulled the curtain back, revealing Morgana who was ready to strike. He caught her punch. 

“Morgana, it’s me! It’s me,” Arthur said, trying to calm her down. “What’s happened?”

“I didn’t know it was you.”

“Calm down, Morgana. Just tell us what happened.”

“People were complaining, saying they weren’t feeling well.” Morgana swallowed. “Then they all started falling asleep. Everyone everywhere I went.”

“Was someone here?”

“…Yes?” Morgana said hesitantly. “Morgause asked me to meet her in the woods. I just wanted to see what she wanted.”

“What did she want then?”

“She wanted me to help her kill Uther,” Morgana said. “For a second I was tempted. That was enough for her. I don’t know her plan.”

Merlin stepped forward. “Morgana, do you know what’s happening.”

Morgana nodded. “I can feel the spell putting everyone to sleep feeding off me. I don’t know how to stop it.”

“Where’s the king?”

“I don’t know.”

Merlin put a comforting hand on Morgana’s shoulder. “We’ll find the king and protect him while we work on dissipating the spell.”

“I don’t know how.”

“We’ll help you Morgana,” Arthur said.

“Deep breaths,” Merlin reminded her. He took on of his own. There was a thin sort of magic in the air. It was like hot sweat after sleeping with too many blankets. 

They walked through the castle, each entirely too tense. 

They found the king in his chambers. 

Merlin let Arthur deal with him as he asked Morgana to sit down with him.

“Meditate, like the druids told you too,” Merlin said.

Morgana nodded tensely. She closed her eyes, breath evening.

While Morgana meditated and Arthur kept watch, Merlin traced patterns on the floor with his finger. Merlin couldn’t feel the magic’s connection to Morgana. It was odd.

“Merlin!” Arthur shouted for him.

Merlin left Morgana with the king and followed Arthur out of the room. Eight knights were riding towards the citadel.

“According to the legend there were only seven nights of Idir.”

Arthur nodded. “The eighth is Morgause.”

“Camelot is defenceless.”

“We have to protect the king.”

Merlin noticed how Arthur kept calling him the king. Not his father, not Uther. Just the king.

They ran back to the king’s chambers where Morgana sat meditating.

“We’ve got to move him,” Arthur said.

“What’s going on?” Morgana asked, breaking out of her meditation.

“We’re under attack.”

Arthur began trying to pick up the king.

“Morgana can you levitate him?” Merlin asked.

“I-I can try.”

It was much easier for the king to float along the corridors to Arthur’s chambers than to try and carry him.

Morgana set him on the bed. Merlin felt it should have been his responsibility.

Trying to tell the truth about his magic now would be so strange. It wasn’t the time to think about that. They had more important things to do.

Arthur looked out the windows, checking for the knights.

“I can’t figure out how to end it. It’s being cast without my intention,” Morgan explained to Merlin.

Merlin thought. “How do you end other spells? Like if you’ve cast a candle to light, how do you end it?”

Morgana thought for a moment. “I don’t know, it’s just a feeling. Like I let the magic dissipate in the air. Merlin the magic’s already in the air. The air is thick with it.”

Merlin sat there. He could feel himself getting tired. “Can you feel how far out it goes?”

Morgana stared at the floor for a second. She nodded.

“Act like Camelot is like one big candle,” Merlin said, talking out of his ass. “Snuff out the spell.”

Morgana nodded, impossibly tense.

Merlin put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Maybe try meditating again first?” Morgana nodded.

He stood up and walked to the window with Arthur.

“How are you so good with magic?” Arthur asked. Merlin shrugged.

He’d be lying if he said he was still keeping the secret to protect himself. Arthur and Gwen hadn’t spilled the secret of Morgana’s magic to the king or anyone else. Why should he still be lying?

He was more scared of their reaction to the lie than anything else. He should have told Arthur the minute he’d accepted Morgana’s magic as a gift. Instead he comforted himself with letting Arthur heal from his father’s hatred first.

Now it felt to late. Every second he waited to tell the truth was more seconds of a lie dictating everything his friends knew about him.

“The knights have entered the castle,” Arthur told him.

“Fuck.”

They made a plan. Merlin went to get the clothes. Before he could do that though, he had to hide from a knight. Even if they could manage to wake the castle, the knights of Idir would and could kill everyone in their path.

So Merlin went to the dragon.

The dragon laughed at him. “You’ve broken destiny, Merlin.”

Merlin had to swear on his mother’s life to free the dragon for the stupid beast to tell him how Morgana would wake everyone up. The dragon also told him how he’d be able to slay the knights. It was the same way he’d be able to break the dragon’s chains. He’d need one of their own swords to kill them.

Arthur pulled him out of the hallway when he was walking back to them.

“What took you so long?” Arthur asked.

“It doesn’t matter, I know how to wake everyone up.”

Merlin handed Arthur the clothes and rushed to Morgana.

He could feel Morgause and the knights walking down the hallway.

“I was worried about you,” Morgana said when he entered Arthur’s chambers.

Merlin nodded, still growing more and more tired.

Merlin took a seat in the chair next to Morgana. He rubbed his face and shook out his hair, trying to get the sleep to leave him for only a moment. It made him feel worse.

“Nothing’s worked,” Morgana said.

“I know what you’ve got to do,” Merlin told her. He took one of her hands. “Trap your magic. Hold it all in. Keep it pressed under your skin and don’t let it get out.”

Morgana shook her head. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

“You’ve got to try,” Merlin pleaded.

If she didn’t do it for too long, just long enough to break the spell, it wouldn’t make her sick.

Morgana sat there, systematically clenching every muscle in her body. She looked uncomfortable.

Merlin felt himself becoming more awake. He grinned. “You’re doing it!”

Morgana smiled. “Feel like shit though.” Her voice became slightly strained.

“You won’t for long,” Merlin said. “We’ll wait for everyone to finish waking up, then you can let it out.”

The king slowly woke up, confused of his surroundings.

Arthur rushed into the room. “Everyone’s waking up.” He smiled at Morgana.

“Their swords are the only thing that can kill them,” Merlin told him.

“How’d you find that out?” Arthur asked him.

“Research.”

Merlin and Arthur left Morgana alone with the now waking up King to retrieve one of the knights’ swords. It didn’t take long for Merlin to pin one behind an armoire and Arthur to disarm it.

Before it broke out of Merlin’s trap, Arthur stabbed it, it fell apart. It seemed to be made of charcoal.

“Let’s go.”

The people of Camelot were still waking up. Merlin and Arthur found the guards in combat with another one of the Knights. Arthur stabbed it in the back before it could turn around and fight him. He passed the sword it had held to Merlin.

It didn’t get easier from there, unfortunately.

There were still more knights. There was still Morgause. The fight continued. It was a long battle against the next knight they found. Those who had been wounded headed to Gaius upon Arthur’s command.

They found Morgause with Uther at sword point. Morgana was unconscious on the floor. They tried to sneak up quietly, but Morgause noticed them.

“The throne of Camelot will be reclaimed,” Morgause said.

When Arthur landed a hit and it broke skin, Morgause looked shocked. The dangerous look that appeared in her eyes just before she attempted to escape, chilled Merlin.

She cast a wall of magic, preventing them from following for only a moment. But she was gone.

Arthur handed Merlin his sword and he was glad for it. They’d killed three knights of Idir. They had three swords that could kill something that was already dead. Merlin quickly found the third as Arthur tended to Morgana and the king.

He wrapped them in cloth and hid them under his bed. After he freed the dragon, he’d send them to the lake of Avalon like the first one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dragon, some Secrets, and a Father.

When Merlin freed the dragon he could not take the swords to Avalon like he’d planned.

The dragon attacked. The kingdom was in chaos. Everything was on fire.

“The dead number 49 men, 27 women, a further 18 women and children are unaccounted for. Most of last night's fires are now out. The castle walls, in particular, the western section are near to collapse, I could go on,” Arthur told the king three days into the battle.

“Do we have any further idea on how the beast escaped?” The king asked, still searching for someone to blame for his wrongdoings. 

It was Merlin’s fault though. It was Merlin’s fault it was happening now, he knew that.

“I regret to say, Sire, we don’t,” Sir Leon reported. 

“There must be some way to rid ourselves of this aberration.” The king looked hopeless. “Gaius?”

Gaius hesitated to answer. Merlin could tell he knew the solution though. “We need a dragonlord, Sire.”

“You know very well that's not an option,” the king scolded.

“Sire, what if...there was, indeed, one last dragonlord left.” The conversation went on slowly. Gaius hesitant to give any information to the king. “I’m not exactly sure, but I think his name is Balinor.”

“Balinor?” the king repeated.

“Where does he live?” Arthur cut in, trying to chase the point of the conversation.

“Last I heard he was living in the border town of Engerd in Essetir.”

“We have no treaty with Cenred,” Uther said. 

“I will go alone,” Arthur said, uncaring of the king’s feelings on the matter. “That way I will not be detected.”

“No, Arthur. It is too dangerous.”

“More dangerous than staying here? I'll not stand by and watch my men die when I have the chance to save them.”

“I forbid it.”

“Then I suggest you get over yourself,” Arthur said. The knights in the room had slowly been growing accustomed to Arthur’s more and more defiant behavior. This seemed to be too much for them. Many looked uncomfortable.

“Merlin, prepare the horses,” Arthur said.

Merlin nodded and exited the room after Arthur.

The dragon had left strange cuts on Arthur’s shoulder that seemed to keep opening themselves again. While Merlin was gathering the medicine that they’d need for Merlin to redress Arthur’s wound, Gaius walked in. 

“Who were the dragonlords?” Merlin asked.

“There were once people who were kin with the dragons. They could tame them, talk to them.”

“What happened to them?” Merlin asked. 

“Uther believed that the art of the dragonlord was too close to magic. So he had them all rounded up and slaughtered along with their dragons.”

“But one survived,” Merlin said.

“One survived and so did his dragon.”

“How did you know?”

“I helped him escape,” Gaius said. Gaius walked around to the other side of the table from Merlin. “Have you ever heard the name Balinor?” Merlin shook his head. “Your mother took him in when he was running from the king.”

“She stood up against Uther?” Merlin asked. 

Gaius nodded. “When Uther discovered where Balinor was he sent knights to Ealdor to hunt him down. He was forced to flee.”

Merlin shook his head in confusion. “Why didn’t my mother tell me any of this?” He placed the supplied he’d been wrapping in a bag. 

“I promised her I’d never speak of these things,” Gaius said. Gaius sounded like he was consoling him, like Merlin should feel hurt.

“Of what?” He hated when Gaius got like that with him, like he was still trying to keep the secret while telling him the secret. 

“I may treat you as my own child Merlin, but that is not who you are. The man you’re going to look for is your father.”

“What?” Merlin asked shakily. Anger grew in his chest. “My father, a dragonlord.”

“Yes.”

“You had no right to keep this from me,” Merlin yelled. “I had a right to know.”

“Your mother wanted to protect you.”

Merlin shook his head and finished preparing the horses for departure.

When Merlin and Arthur rode off, Merlin felt the calm he’d created before they left disappeared. When the two stopped to water the horses and rest for a moment Arthur pulled him out of his anger.

“What is it, Merlin?” Arthur asked.

Merlin pressed his hands to the side of his face for a moment, trying to pull himself out of his thoughts. “It’s nothing.”

Merlin knew Arthur didn’t believe him. It didn’t seem to matter that Merlin was lying though. They rode on without further pressing from Arthur.

They reached the crest of a hill. One more step and they’d be in Essetir. When they reached Engerd it had gotten dark, it had also started poring. Arthur navigated them to an inn. This in was also a tavern full of lively patrons waiting out the rain.

When Arthur and Merlin stepped inside, it went quiet.

Everyone turned towards their sopping wet selves as the door creeped shut behind them. No one seemed to appreciate outsiders there. They were seated and Arthur ordered a cup of ale.

Most of the ale got splashed on Merlin when the barman sat it down.

“We’re looking for a man named Balinor,” Arthur told the man. “I’m willing to pay-” He dropped a bag of coins infant of the man. “-handsomely.”

The man leaned in close like he was going to tell a secret. “Never heard of him,” the man said and took the coins for the ale.

“You think one of these men is Balinor?” Merlin asked, looking around.

“I hope not,” Arthur said, looking at a particularly mean looking bunch.

“So do I.”

They asked for a room and Arthur paid for it.

When they got there, Merlin almost fell into the bed immediately, but remembered he needed to redress Arthur’s cuts. He considered ignoring it for a moment. As soon as Arthur took off his shirt he knew that wasn’t a possibility. The dressings had become loose and they were damp with blood.

“Sit down,” Merlin ordered, pulling out the bag of medical supplies.

“Need I remind you that I’m the prince,” Arthur asked, but sat down anyway,

“No, sire,” Merlin joked. He was quiet as he took off the old bandages.

“What is wrong with you today?” Arthur asked. “I’ve put up with your weird mood for long enough.” Merlin wiped down the cuts with a wet cloth.

“Gaius just… told me something I wish he’d told me sooner.” He put the ointment Gaius had packed on the cuts, trying to be as gentle as possible.

Merlin ignored the look Arthur was giving him to keep talking.

Arthur sighed as Merlin wrapped the clothe around his shoulder. “It pains me to admit it, but I do enjoy your surly retorts. In fact, it's probably your only redeemable feature.”

“Thanks,” Merlin replied sarcastically. 

The two laid down in their respective beds. 

“There are loads of servants who can serve. So few are capable of making a complete prat of themselves.” 

Merlin breathed a faint laugh. 

“What is it?” Arthur asked for the third time that day. 

Merlin didn’t know if he could say. He didn’t know if those words could come out of his mouth around Arthur. He didn’t know if they’d stay lodged in his throat like they did when he thought for any brief moment about telling Arthur about his magic. 

“Nothing,” Merlin denied for the second time that day.

“It's something,” Arthur pressed. “Tell me.” Merlin saw Arthur turn to look at him for a moment out of the corner of his eye. “All right, I know I'm a prince, so we can't be friends. But if I wasn't a prince…”

“What?” Merlin said dips of impatient anger in his tone. 

“Well, then...I think we'd probably get on,” Arthur said.

“So?”

“So at least can you tell me?”

“Well, that's true. But you see, if you weren't a prince, I'd tell you to mind your own damn business.”

It felt odd to snap at him this way. The usual words used in their joking retorts used in real anger. Merlin wasn’t even mad at Arthur for pressing like this. It made him feel like Arthur truly cared. 

It made him feel like if Merlin corrected every lie in this moment, everything would be okay.

“Merlin!” Arthur scolded his remark. He threw a pillow at Merlin’s head. 

“Fine,” Merlin said. He turned over onto his other side to face Arthur. 

“You’re going to tell me now?” Arthur sounded almost excited.

Merlin frowned.

“Sorry,” Arthur said.

“Gaius told me-” Merlin swallowed. He tried to fight the words as they got caught in his throat like he predicted. “-he told me that he knew who my father was.” Merlin flipped over onto his other side. He heard Arthur sit up.

“What?” Arthur stood up. “Are- is- who-” Arthur sighed. “Are you all right?”

“I don’t know.” He didn’t know and it hurt. “Balinor is my father and Gaius knew where he was the whole time.” Tears rolled down Merlin’s cheeks. 

Arthur sat down on Merlin’s bed and put a hand on Merlin’s shoulder. Merlin shot up and wrapped his arms around his friend’s neck, burying his face in his friend’s shoulder. Arthur ran his hands down Merlin’s back comfortingly. 

“Morgana’s a seer. I was born of magic. Your father’s a dragonlord. What’s next? Gwen’s a druid?” Arthur joked quietly. Merlin couldn’t help but to laugh. 

“I hope we can find your father, Merlin,” Arthur said solemnly after a few minutes of silence. “For everyone’s sake.”

“Me too,” Merlin said. He pulled out away from his friend and notice the shinny tears on his shoulder. Merlin laughed. “Glad I wasn’t crying on your other shoulder.”

Arthur smiled. “Let’s get some rest.”

Merlin nodded and Arthur returned to his own bed. 

If Merlin hadn’t cried, he would have stayed awake for a few hours thinking his thoughts. Instead, Merlin fell asleep quickly.

When the night had crept past midnight and into early morning, someone moved into their small room. 

Arthur caught a hand as it reached for his bag and quickly drew a knife. He threw the man onto Merlin’s bed but kept him in his grasp and at knifepoint. 

“What’s going on?” Merlin asked, now abruptly awake and mind far too foggy with sleep. 

“Do you know what the punishment is for theft?” Arthur asked the man. 

“No, please. I've got children to feed,” the man pleaded. Merlin tried to get his legs out from under the man but it didn’t seem to do anything. Besides, there wasn’t much Merlin could do to help the situation anyway. 

“Tell me where to find Balinor,” Arthur commanded. 

“Balinor?” the man asked, obviously recognizing the name.

Arthur smiled almost imperceptibly. “What do you know of him?”

“Nothing. I…” The man shook his head and tried to stand but noticed Arthur’s knife. 

“Do you value your life?” Arthur threatened, talking slowly.

“It's been many years since I saw him!” the man said, trying to pull away from the knife even though he was pinned against the bed by it. 

“You know where he lives?” Arthur interrogated. 

The intruder took a deep breath. “You must travel through the Forest of Merendra to the foot of Feorre Mountain. There you will find the cave where Balinor dwells.”

Arthur moved his arm and his knife from the thief’s chest. 

“But don't get your hopes up,” he warned.

“Why?” Merlin asked quickly.

“He will not welcome you. Balinor hates everyone and everything. A cave's the best place for him.” The thief scurried from the room before either of them could change their minds about letting him leave.

Merlin felt slightly sick for a moment. “Fuck.”

“I doubt a thief is a perfect judge of character,” Arthur said. “We’ll figure it out.”

Merlin nodded and fell backwards into bed. 

“Are you all right?” Arthur asked as he fell into his own bed. 

“Yeah,” Merlin said, his throat tight. The feeling passed and the two fell back asleep. They woke up later than usual the next morning because of the previous days’ journey. 

They decided to walk the horses the rest of the way. The terrain was to rocky and it wasn’t too far. 

When they heard branches snapping loudly they hid from the patrolmen. It took ten minutes for Arthur to let Merlin stand up all the way. When the patrolmen were far enough away they continued walking.

After a few hours they rode their horses the rest of the way. Merlin had noticed his friend becoming sluggish, but when he saw Arthur fall forward in to his horse he panicked. Something must have happened to his wound. 

Eventually Merlin found the cave that the thief was talking about. Merlin left Arthur with the tied up horses. The cave was lived in, baskets, a fire pit, and an assortment of blankets making a bed. 

Someone grabbed the his throat and chest. 

“ What do you want here, boy?” A gruff voice asked. 

“My friend- he’s sick. He needs help.” The man shoved Merlin away, spinning him slightly.  He had long hair and a short wiry beard. The cave was dark but Merlin could see the gray streaks in it. 

“Show me, boy,” the man said softly. Merlin wondered how long he’d been isolated out here. 

All he could think was that this man could be his father. He couldn’t speak.

When Merlin didn’t move either, the man got louder. “What are you waiting for, boy? Fetch him!”

Merlin ran off to get Arthur. He’d only been unconscious for a few minutes. His skin was far warmer than it should have been. Merlin felt guilty. It was somehow his fault, he hadn’t studied Gaius’ instructions well enough. 

He carried Arthur back to the cave and the man helped Merlin lay him down. He told merlin to get some water from the creek. Merlin didn’t say anything but went to get the water. He tried to ignore who this man might be and focused on helping him take care of Arthur.

Merlin came back to him glaring at the wound in disgust. Merlin had obviously done something wrong the night before.

“Go get some clay,” the man told him as he got to work cleaning the cuts with the water. Merlin rushed off to get the clay. 

When he had the clay the man had finished cleaning the cuts and was stirring something a bowl with his hand. He took a handful of the clay Merlin had brought and dumped it in the bowl. 

Merlin watched as the man finished healing Arthur. 

The cave walls were slightly damp, yet the floor had a thin coating of dry dust. Most of the man’s things had been formed from tree branches, what wasn’t could have all been packed in a few bags. 

When the man had finished packing the mixture he’d made on the wound, he glanced at Merlin for a moment. Merlin heard him mumble a spell under his breath. 

Merlin again tried to ignore the possibility that this man might be his father. 

He started building up a fire and put a pot of water on to boil. The man threw too many things into the pot for merlin to know what to call it. It had the consistency of porridge. 

“Looks good,” Merlin commented before taking a bite. “How long have you lived here?”

“Few winters.”

“Must be hard,” Merlin replied quickly. 

“Why are you here?” the man questioned aggressively. 

Most likely, isolationists wouldn’t appreciate Merlin’s talkative nature.

“J ust traveling,” Merlin said. The man went back to eating. Merlin tried to do the same. “We're looking for someone. I was told, well...they said that he lived somewhere hereabouts. A man named Balinor.” Any information he could get out of this man would be useful. He waited for a response, he got nothing. They both took another bite of food. “You never heard of him?” Merlin paused again, waiting, getting nothing. “He was a dragonlord.”

“He's passed on,” the man said immediately. 

“You knew him?” Merlin asked. 

The man was definitely taking offense to Merlin’s questions. “Who are you?” He demanded. 

“ I’m…” He wanted the man to recognize his name. Somehow he thought that there was still a chance this man could be his father. “Merlin.”

There was no recognition in the man’s eyes. “And him?” The man pointed at Arthur, fast asleep by the fire. 

Merlin swallowed. Arthur’s name wasn’t something to be thrown around. “ He's my master.”

“His name!” the man demanded acrimoniously. 

“His name is Lancelot.” A quick and easy lie. “Yes, he's a knight. You know, a nice one.” Merlin smiled.

The man’s eyes showed his disbelief. “His name is Arthur Pendragon.” He said the name like he was a foul creature that shouldn’t be spoken of. “He is Uther's son.”  Merlin conceded a nod. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2021 guys!!
> 
> Enjoy the art I made! It's the icon for the Intuition discord server :D


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Balinor and Camelot.

“ This is Cenred's kingdom. He's asking for trouble. What do you want from me?” The man asked, seeming disgusted that they were here. 

“Are you Balinor?” Merlin asked, auspiciously schooling the franticness from his voice. The man didn’t respond, returning to his food. Merlin rushed forward, reaching out to him but not touching, to get his attention. “The Great Dragon is attacking Camelot.”

“His name is Kilgharrah,” Balinor corrected. 

Merlin had to ignore that this man was in fact his father for at least a few minutes longer. There were more important things. Much more important things that hurt more than the sting of waiting. “Well, we can't stop him. Only you, a dragonlord, can.”

“He doesn't act blindly,” Balinor reasoned. “He kills for a reason. Vengeance. This is of Uther's making.”

“That dragon- Kilgharrah has no sense of morals or justice. He's killing innocent people. Children-”

“Uther pursued me!” Balinor cut in, rage crinkled his forehead. “He hunted me like an animal!” 

Merlin could feel an angry sort of magic seeping from him into the stones. “I know.” Merlin had heard enough stories about the purge to know he didn’t want to know what it was like.

“What do you know about anybody's life, boy?” Balinor asked, entirely enraged. He stood up, setting down his food. “Uther asked me to use my power to bring the last dragon to Camelot. He said he wanted to make peace with it, but he did not!” Balinor took a step forward. “He lied to me! He betrayed me! You want me to protect this man?” 

“I want you to protect Camelot,” Merlin said. 

“He killed every one of my kind, I alone escaped!” Balinor shouted. Merlin didn’t dare feel worried he’d wake Arthur. “My parents, my sisters. Every dragon.”

“Where did you go?” Merlin asked, knowing the answer.

Balinor seemed reluctant to answer. “There's a place called Ealdor.”

“Yes.”

“I had a life there. I had a woman. Ealdor is beyond Uther’s realm, but still he felt the need to purse me. Why could he not let me be? He’d already taken everything else. What was it that I had done that he wanted to destroy the life I built, abandon the woman I loved? He sent knights to kill me.” Balinor gestured to Arthur, not in an accusatory way, but painting him as an example. “I was forced here.” He glared at the cave walls. “To this! I understand how Kilgharrah feels. He’s lost every one of his kind, every one of his kin. You want to know how that feels? Look around.” He kicked a stone on the cave floor. “Let Uther die. Let Camelot fall.”

“You want everyone in Camelot to die?” Merlin asked.

“Why should I care?” 

“What if one of them was your son?” Merlin said. He hoped he didn’t sound desperate. 

“I don't have a son,” Balinor said.

Merlin felt his heart sink. He felt the magic shift from anger to a strange sort of sad calm. “I grew up in Ealdor.”

Balinor looked surprised.

“I know the woman that took you in.”

“Hunith? She's still alive?” Balinor asked. 

“Yes. She's my mother.” 

Balinor looked sad. “Then she married. That's good.”

Merlin shook her head. “She never married.” Merlin saw a deep sadness wash over Balinor’s face suddenly. “Gaius told me-” Merlin coughed as his throat caught the words. “-that you’re my father.”

Merlin watched the confusion on Balinor’s face morph to different emotions. 

“I don’t know what it is to have a son,” Balinor said dreadfully. He sat back down across from Merlin.

“I don’t know what it’s like to have a father.” Merlin shrugged, tears forming in his eyes that mirrored Balinor’s. Merlin examined this man, looking for truer signs of relation. Balinor had brown eyes while Merlin’s were blue. The parts of Balinor’s hair that wasn’t grey were the same shade as Merlins. He’d have to look further to recognize more of himself in the man.

“Gaius?” Balinor asked. 

“The court physician.” Merlin nodded. 

“How is he?”

“He’s doing well other than the dragon attacking Camelot making things significantly harder,” Merlin said passive aggressively.

Balinor looked sadder for a moment. “I’ll call Kilgharrah off.”

Merlin smiled slightly, resting his head on his arms. “Thank you.”

“You should get some rest.”

Merlin nodded. Balinor took his dish to clean out while he set up his cot. 

It was hard to fall asleep that night. Merlin couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like having a father. It was hard to picture. He kept remembering the things Will’s dad used to do with Will. He couldn’t imagine Balinor teaching him how to fell a tree or corral pigs. 

He’d made himself tense with worry that Balinor might just leave, running away from Uther after he’d banished the dragon.

Merlin inhaled deeply, remembering Morgana’s meditating. As he relaxed, he let the magic seep out of his body, he didn’t just release it, not wanting to grow a forrest inside the cave. He let it fall out of him like a drippy faucet. 

He almost started falling asleep and stopping the flow of magic, but Balinor shot up. 

“Emrys,” he said.

Merlin shot up and froze. Mordred had said he’d masked it. How had he concealed his magic? How had that concealment broken in this moment?

“What?” Merlin swallowed. He glanced over at Arthur who was still fast asleep. His jaw clenched.

“You’re Emrys.”

Merlin shook his head without thinking, “I-”

“How are you Emrys?” Balinor said, disbelieving. 

“To be honest,” Merlin said. “All I know about that is that Kilgharrah told me it was one of my names.”  He sighed. 

Balinor still looked stunned, he sighed. “Go back to sleep, Merlin. We can talk about it after I banish the dragon.” 

Both laid back down and Merlin fell asleep for the first time that night. The night was quiet and safe. Merlin was glad that nothing else in the woods had realized he was there. 

Balinor wasn’t in the cave when Merlin woke up. Merlin saw him standing out by the river from inside the cave. It was early morning. He went to wake up Arthur.

“Rise and shine,” Merlin said, kicking Arthur’s foot lightly.

Arthur woke up quickly. He put a hand on the shoulder with dried mud on it. “What?”

“You passed out and Balinor healed you,” Merlin said. He kicked Arthur’s leg again.

“You found Balinor?” Arthur asked, standing up and catching the shirt Merlin threw at him.

“I did,” Merlin said, smiling. He found his jacket and put it on.

“And did you tell him about-”

“The dragon? Yes. He’ll help,” Merlin said.

“And what about the-”

“I told him about that too,” Merlin said. He didn’t want to hear the word father or son come out of Arthur’s mouth at the moment. For some reason the words coming from Arthur would make him very angry.

“Merlin, are you all right?” Arthur asked. He glanced at the man outside the cave by the stream.

“I think—” Merlin tried to fine the words. “I’m mad and I can’t tell what I’m supposed to be mad at.”

Arthur nodded. Merlin hated that. Merlin hated that he hated that. It was all very confusing trying to find something to blame for his ill reasoned emotions.

“Kick a wall?” Arthur suggested. “I’m going to go talk to him.”

Merlin followed Arthur’s advice as he walked out of the cave even though he didn’t think it would help. It didn’t, it left him with a sore toe and the same bad temper.

“—I suggest you walk inside for a moment,” Merlin caught Arthur saying to Balinor as he walked outside. He was trying not to show his odd anger.

But he was pissed. Not at Balinor, not at Arthur, not at himself. Mostly just the world. The situation he was in. How things were.

Uther.

And then he was pushed backward into the creek.

The barely two feet of water was freezing. Merlin stood up and trudged through the water before grabbing Arthur by his lapels and throwing him in with him. If he wanted a fight he’d get one.

Arthur was laughing. Merlin couldn’t help but join in and as the reality of it all sank in he started crying. As he cried Arthur slashed water at him. So Merlin kept laughing too.

He was experiencing two identical yet entirely different emotions.

When they’ed stopped and Merlin had sat on the side of the creek, Arthur put his hand on Merlin’s shoulder. Merlin felt refreshed.

“That’s better,” Arthur said.

“Much,” Merlin agreed. “Being filled with a rage for the universe was unpleasant.”

Arthur laughed. “I imagine it would.”

Merlin shrugged out from under Arthur’s hand. “We should get packed at get going.”

Arthur nodded. “Camelot is a long way away.”

The two finished climbing out of the creek, now sopping wet.

‘Do you want me to dry you two off?’ Balinor mind spoke to Merlin.

‘No, I don’t know how comfortable Arthur would be with that. He’s not used to magic, yet,’ Merlin spoke back.

‘Does he know of your magic, your destinies?’ Balinor was starting to pack a bag for the trip.

‘No, but he knows of the Lady Morgana’s magic. She’s the king’s ward. He doesn’t know anything about our destinies, which is barely more than I know.’

Merlin started ringing out his wet shirt and tossing the water out of his shoes.

“How about I dry you off,” Balinor offered Arthur.

Arthur looked slightly uncomfortable, but Merlin knew he’d say no if he didn’t want too. Arthur coughed lightly to cover up his pause. “Sure.”

Balinor spelled the water out of his clothes. “Merlin?” Balinor offered the same. Merlin nodded, no longer feeling the need to accommodate Arthur’s worries.

The magic was warm as it wrapped around him and dried his hair and clothes.

Arthur started laughing. Merlin blushed as he touched his hair that he felt was standing on end. It was a wavy, frizzy, tangled mess. He brushed his fingers through it, taking out the tangles and flattening it.

“We better get going soon,” Merlin said.

Balinor nodded and helped them pack and re-saddle the horses. Balinor didn’t pack much and he didn’t have a horse. They walked back to the village and Arthur purchased a horse for Balinor. They rode for many hours after that, only stopping to water the horses and grab a snack.

Balinor talked to Merlin about their family history, avoiding the purge entirely. Merlin learned about his aunt and his grandparents. He learned about other dragons that had been around, the one’s Balinor grew up with.

Though Merlin knew all the people in Balinor’s stories were dead, he appreciated them immensely. He’d have never learned about them otherwise. He succeeded in ignoring the fact that if it weren’t for Uther he’d have met them sooner.

Merlin’s rage toward Uther was entirely different from Arthur’s. Merlin’s came from a place of being harmed by him, from being stripped away from all that he was by Uther. Arthur’s rage started in a place of broken trust and cracked out into the pain Uther had caused and told Arthur was just. Arthur’s rage came with vengeance, wanting a solution somehow. Merlin didn’t care what happened to the man as long as everything might just be okay in the end.

That night by the fire, Merlin and Balinor continued to stay awake talking while Arthur fell asleep. Balinor carved a dragon from the wood they’d collected for the fire that night.

“Why did you never come back?” Merlin finally drew up the courage to ask.

“It wasn’t safe. If Uther heard where I was I would have been hunted again and so would you mother have,” Balinor said. His brown eyes were warm yet full of a regretful sadness.

“We could have come with you.”

Balinor smiled at the childish suggestion. “What kind of life would that be?”

“A happy one,” Merlin said. Balinor frowned. “When were done in Camelot, I’ll take you to Ealdor.”

Balinor nodded. “Maybe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come have fun on discord with me and other readers! <3


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Languages and Dragonlords

The fire crackled loudly beside them

“How did you become a dragonlord?” Merlin asked, leaning forward. 

“You don't choose to become a dragonlord,” Balinor explained. He’d told many stories that day of his father’s dragons. “It's not something you're taught. It's a sacred gift.” Merlin nodded, listening harder than he’d ever listened to anything in his life. “For thousands of years it's been handed down from parent to eldest child. And that is what you must now become, Merlin.”

“I would like that.” The innate magic of the forrest seemed to be settling around them. 

“And like all dragonlords, you won't know for sure that you have that power until you face your first dragon. You should get some sleep. We've a big day ahead of us. Goodnight, Son.”

“Sleep well, Father.” The word was odd. He wasn’t entirely sure if he liked it or not. 

Merlin thought back to all the times he’d talked to Kilgharrah. It was odd to think that the whole time the dragon had a name he hadn’t been told. 

Merlin was once again glad he understood that this great, many years old, beast wasn’t the morally superior all knowing creature he thought he was. He was just another soul broken by Uther’s wrath and fear. 

He’d spoken to Kilgharrah many times. If those interactions were anything to go by, Merlin had no clue if he was a dragonlord. Kilgharrah paid attention to him though, was that a sign. Was that because the dragon had been alone for so long, because he had a destiny, or because he was a dragonlord. Maybe it was a combination of those three. Maybe he just wasn’t a dragonlord. Merlin couldn’t command him to stop hurting the people in the citadel. Though he didn’t know if anything he did counted as commanding. 

Merlin woke up the next morning to a hand pressing over his mouth. “Shh,” Arthur commanded. 

Being woken up like that was never a good sign. Merlin jerked up, barely paying attention to being quiet.

“Cenred’s men,” Arthur explained, grabbed a sword that had been standing in the dirt. 

Merlin saw Balinor stand up and he tossed him a sword. He grabbed is own and began fighting back against the barrage of soldiers coming down one of the hills. 

While Balinor and Arthur cut down soldier after soldier, Merlin’s sword work didn’t compare with anyone else. Merlin was pushed backward and backward until he was cornered by a cliff. The sword was nocked out of his grip. He was nocked backward. 

The soldier didn’t bother to see if Merlin had fallen to the bottom of the valley below. Merlin barely held on to a large root. He didn’t know if it was safe to do magic. If the knights saw he’d be carted off to Cenred. If Arthur saw, it’d be the end of the world. 

So he clutched to the root. Entirely unable to process any of the information his senses were giving him. He brought his other hand up to meet his first. The muddy jagged root was easier to hold onto with two hands. 

Distantly, Merlin heard the crashing of metal end. He also felt his grip loosening from the root. 

He heard himself yelling out as he fell. He didn’t feel himself hit the valley floor. 

When he woke up, he was warm. He was lying by a cracking fire and there was a large coat draped over him. He blinked his eyes open and found himself looking up at a canopy of trees. He heard Arthur and Balinor chatting a few feet away. 

He sat up slowly. There was a dull kind of refreshed ache in his muscles. Like he should be sore but he’d stopped working before he got sore. He also felt Balinor’s magic stuck to him.

“Merlin!” Arthur yelled in surprise. He was suddenly by Merlin’s side. 

“What happened?” Merlin asked.

“You fell off a cliff!” Arthur said.

“Doesn’t feel like I fell off a cliff.”

Arthur looked oddly guilty. “Balinor uh…” Merlin gave him a puzzled look. “Balinor used magic to heal you.” 

Merlin nodded, understanding now. 

“You’re not mad?” Arthur asked.

“Why would I be mad?” Merlin asked.

Arthur took a moment to figure that out for himself. “Cause he didn’t ask your permission before using magic on you.”

Merlin smiled. “It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

Arthur looked relieved. “I’m glad.”

Merlin sat up a little more and Arthur wrapped his arms around him.

“I thought you were going to die for a second there,” he whispered in Merlin’s ear.

“I’m all right, Arthur,” Merlin said.

He looked around at the camp they’ed made. They hadn’t left Essetir. They had lost a lot of daylight.

“We need to get back to Camelot,” Merlin said, pulling away from the hug.

Arthur found it difficult to protest. Merlin knew he’d have preferred to wait to make sure Merlin had recovered entirely first. They ate what little they had left as they packed up to leave. 

They returned to Camelot by nightfall. When they were about to enter the citadel, Kilgharrah attacked. 

“Merlin, go ask for a group of knights to ride out into the field,” Arthur commanded.

Merlin nodded and made his horse speed up as he rode into the square. He told Sir Leon of the orders and soon rode out to meet Arthur and Balinor into the field. The knights knew they were back up. They knew there shouldn’t be any danger to them. 

All of them were war beaten. They’d been injured by the attacks. They were all tired and rightly fearful of the beast they were calling too them. Merlin didn’t hold their fear against any of them.

When they were all there, Arthur commanded them into formation. Balinor was in front, with Merlin and Arthur right behind him. There were two layers of knights behind them.

The words that Balinor spoke to call the dragon were beautiful.

Merlin understood each word though he felt he couldn’t speak it himself.

“Kilgharrah, come here,” Balinor commanded in the dragon tongue.

Merlin saw the dragon’s head turn from Camelot’s walls to face them in their field. The dragon flew towards them, its overwhelming mass more evident now than it was in the caverns. Merlin held in his breath as the dragon landed.

“Balinor.”

The knights all shifted when the dragon spoke. Merlin supposed they didn’t know it could.

“We have a choice here, Kilgharrah. I can either kill you or banish you.”

The dragon looked sad. Merlin had no pity for the creature.

“Please don’t cause me to be the end of my noble breed,” the dragon pleaded.

Merlin glared at it, so did Arthur and Balinor.

“Well then. You shall leave here and never return,” Balinor commanded. The deep bellows of the dragon tongue echoed in the field.

Kilgharrah nodded and flapped his wings. He flew away and disappeared into the clear horizon.

The knights cheered.

“You will be greatly rewarded for this,” Arthur said, putting a hand on Balinor’s shoulder.

“I seek no reward, only that I may return to my home in piece,” Balinor said. “I’d prefer not to have an audience with the king.”

Arthur nodded. “We return to Camelot in victory!”

The ride back to Camelot was short. Balinor rode with them bit again refused to see the king and asked that no one tell the king where he was. Arthur agreed to his terms.

Balinor and Merlin headed to see Gaius. He wasn’t in his chambers, but they waited for him.

“I’ve been trying to train under him,” Merlin explained. “I don’t have much time to do it though, with Arthur’s life constantly being threatened and what not.”

“You protect him?” Balinor asked.

“It’s my destiny, isn’t it?” Merlin asked.

Balinor shrugged. “You care about him a great deal,” he observed. The two were sharing a meal Merlin had gotten from the kitchens. Balinor was enjoying the grapes.

“I do,” Merlin agreed. He took a bite of his sandwich.

“How did you end up in Camelot?” Balinor asked.

Merlin told the story of how he’d knocked over so many trees and his mother didn’t think it would be safe if he stayed in Ealdor for any longer. He explained that his mother had known Gaius and sent him a letter asking for his help. Merlin explained how he was sent with a similar letter to give to Gaius.

“When I walked in, I startled him. He fell backwards and broke through the guard rail. I slowed down time with my magic and moved his bed underneath him to catch him.”

Balinor nodded, slightly amused. “You’ve certainly had fun here it seems.”

“I have.” Merlin smiled.

While his mind was still reconciling the images of a forgotten father with the one sitting in front of him, Merlin’s heart was finding it easy. They were getting to know each other quickly. Every minute the two became a little closer. They were still a very long ways off from being father and son, but they were climbing an easy slope to it.

Gaius eventually returned from healing those the dragon had wounded.

“Balinor!” he stated in surprise.

“Gaius,” Balinor greeted. Balinor stood up and embraced his old friend. “I’m surprised you recognized me.”

Gaius laughed. “You’ve still got the same face,” he said.

Merlin yawned and decided to take his leave. Gaius and Balinor needed to catch up. In Balinor’s case there wasn’t much to get caught up on, but Merlin knew they’d appreciate the alone time none the less.

“I’m going to head to bed,” Merlin said, standing up. Balinor nodded appreciatively.

“Sleep well, Merlin,” Gaius said.

Merlin made the short walk to his room and collapsed onto his bed. He fell asleep quickly and without any dragon voices in his head to bother him.

When he woke up to the stun shining on his face he rushed out the door. He had to ignore Gaius and Balinor sitting at the table. He grabbed half of the sandwich that Gaius had made for him, nearly tripping over the extra cot that was in the middle of the room. Soon he was in the buffer room between Arthur’s chambers and the hallway.

Arthur’s breakfast sat on the small table by the door. Merlin took a moment to finish eating his sandwich. He picked up the plate and opened the door. Setting the plate at the end of Arthur’s bed, he opened the curtains.

“Rise and Shine!” Merlin said.

Arthur groaned. “I thought you were taking Balinor to Ealdor,” Arthur said, stretching.

Merlin went over to Arthur’s wardrobe, setting what Arthur would need on the privacy divider.

“I am,” Merlin said. “I’ve still got to make sure you know what you’re doing today.”

As Arthur got up and got dressed and ate his breakfast, Merlin reminded him of everything he needed to do that day. Most of it was sitting with his father while they figured out what needed to be done to repair the citadel.

As soon as Arthur had dismissed Merlin, he was out the door. Merlin quickly made sure his responsibilities were going to be taken care of before rushing back to Gaius’ chambers.

Soon he was ready to take his father home to reunite with his mother. The thought made him shiver with anxiety.

It was almost noon when Balinor and Merlin rode their horses out of the castle gates.

“It’s lucky I didn’t have to speak to Uther,” Balinor said. “If he knew I was in the castle, I don’t know what he would have done.”

“I’ve got no clue. He seemed to want to meet you,” Merlin told him. “Before we left to find you.”

They rode for a long while.

“Who knows of your magic?” Balinor asked.

“You, Gaius, my mother, and my friend Lancelot.”

They slept under the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwaine and even more assasins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arc 2: Merlin's Magic

Merlin didn’t spend much time in Ealdor. He promised his mother and Balinor that he wouldn’t tell anyone that Balinor was staying there. It wouldn’t be safe for anyone if word got out about that.

It was novel getting to know his father. Balinor taught him a few spells, and told him more about their family history. If it hadn’t been for the purge, Merlin would have grown up a lord. Merlin chose to entirely ignore this fact. Sure, he could have, but he most certainly wasn’t.

Merlin said there wasn’t a noble bone in his body. Balinor and his mother laughed at him for that.

“You are one of the most noble people I’ve met,” Balinor told him.

Merlin shook his head. “You’re just saying that because of some dumb prophesy.”

For the next year, Morgause was silent. She didn’t make a move against Camelot. Merlin could feel her hiding in the shadows though. He knew they hadn’t seen the last of her.

Every three months, Merlin went to Ealdor. It was a nice routine to add to his almost bimonthly trips to see the druids with Morgana.

Mordred made sure that they came on his birthday. Each time Merlin and Morgana visited the druids, Morgana and Merlin’s magic improved. Merlin learned in secret, Mordred passed on the things that Merlin wouldn’t have been able to learn from a book. Morgana got to meet with the druids as they trained with each other and learned different techniques for spell work. She was becoming entirely in control of her power.

Mordred’s magic had been shifting too. Each time they were with him, his magic seemed to grow happier. He laughed more and started to get along better with the older kids.

After so long of there being threat after threat, Merlin spent his free time worrying. There didn’t seem to be anything to worry about. No one had anything to do, it seemed. Arthur never crossed anyone, there was no one new to seek vengeance.

If Merlin was being honest, it was getting wonderfully boring.

After a hunting trip, Merlin and Arthur were passing an absolutely tiny town. Arthur suggested that they stop for a drink.

“ Now, remember, in here you're not my servant, I'm just a simple peasant like everyone else,” Arthur said.

“The simple part's right,” Merlin muttered under his breath.

“What?” Arthur asked.

“Nothing.”

The tavern was the building closest to the woods. The town itself wasn’t particularly flat. It slopped this way and that. The two tied up their horses and headed inside. 

They took a seat at the only free table, though it had yet to be cleaned. The barmaid headed over and picked up the cups and wiped down the table.

“Good afternoon,” she greeted. “What'll it be?”

“Two tankards of mead, please!” Arthur said.

Then something Arthur had never witnessed happened. “Mmm... You're an handsome fellow,” she complimented.

“Well, you wouldn't be the first to say it,” Arthur replied cockily. 

“Oh, no, sorry,” she apologized before turning her words to Merlin. “I was talking about your friend here,” she said.

“Thank you,” Merlin accepted the compliment.

She left to get their drinks. 

Someone opened the door, it hit the wall threateningly. Heads turned and the chattering that filled the bar stopped. A thug walked in, demanding money from the barmaid.

Arthur stepped in, Merlin spoke up, and a horde of men entered the tavern at the thug’s whistle.

“You two have got yourselves in a bit of a pickle, haven't you?” A man with long hair says. He strode forward into the space the pre-fight tension had created. He’s scruffy in the dashing sort of way. 

“You should get out of here while you have the chance,” Arthur suggested. 

“And leave you to have all the fun?” the man asked. He took a swig from his drink before setting it in the thug’s hand. The thug glared at him and received a punch in the face. 

Chaos erupted from the tavern. Fists were swinging and clay pots were being smashed on heads. Magic was cast and went entirely unnoticed.

In the middle of it all the man introduced himself as Gwaine. 

The fight only ended when Gwaine was stabbed in the leg and passed out. 

He was bleeding out and fast. Merlin grabbed the nearest strip of clean cloth which happened to be in his bag. Merlin had gained the habit of bringing medical supplies whenever they left the castle, just in case. He wrapped Gwaine’s wound and Arthur helped him carry him out of the tavern. 

After Arthur loaded the thug into the stocks and dazzled the crowd by telling them he was prince Arthur, they rode off. 

When they were back in Camelot, Gaius stitched the wound with Merlin’s help. Gwaine didn’t wake up until morning when Merlin brought him breakfast. 

“What am I doing in this bed?” Gwaine asked, looking around the room.

“You were wounded. Arthur wanted to make sure you were treated by his physician,” Merlin explained, stepping into the room and closing the door with his foot.

“Arthur?”

“Prince Arthur,” Merlin clarified. “You saved his life.” He set down the tray of food.

“If I'd known who he was, I probably wouldn't have.” He struggled to sit himself up because of his leg and a moment later he added; “He's a noble.” The distaste was clear, a distaste that Merlin knew well after three years of working in a castle. 

“Yeah, but he's a good man,” Merlin said. 

“If you say so,” Gwaine said, his face showing his absolute disbelief in Merlin’s words.

“The King wants to thank you in person,” Merlin said, showing his own hesitance to the idea.

Gwaine started to take a sip of his water but choked on it slightly. “Please, no,” Gwaine insisted. “I’ve met a few kings. Once you've met one, you've...you've met them all.”

“He'll probably give you a reward,” Merlin offered like it was some kind of condolence.

Gwaine picked up a blackberry from the tray of food and ate it. “I’m not interested. Besides, I've got everything I need right here.” He patted his bag lightly.

“Why did you help us?” Merlin asked.

“Your chances looked between slim and none.” Gwaine smiled. “I, er...I guess I just kind of like the look of those odds.”

Merlin laughed. “I guess you don’t win many bets then.”

Gwaine chuckled politely. “You’d be surprised. I won your fight, didn’t I?”

Merlin left Gwaine to his breakfast and went to wake up Arthur.

“How’s Gwaine?” Arthur asked. 

Merlin began opening up the windows to let in the cool air. “Recovering.” 

Merlin watched the square below as a few knights came trotting in. Right, the melee was today. There hadn’t been many battles for Arthur to fake-real fight in in the past year. Which meant out of all the time Merlin had been in Camelot, only three of the tournaments or battles or challenges or whatever they could all be called, hadn’t involved some sort of assassination attempt. 

Merlin, as always, was now on his guard. 

A few hours later, Merlin had him doing tasks for other knights. A particularly large and heavy chest of armor had to be carried up seven flights of stairs. Merlin had to do it by himself. To many people were around for him to use magic to assist himself. It took an hour.

When he got to the knight’s chambers, the knights toyed with him, having him move the chest different places around the room before asking him to put it on a tall cabinet and undoing the latch while he was underneath. The lid of the chest and the armor that rained down on him hurt quite a bit. 

Needless to say, Sir Oswald was an asshole.

Merlin didn’t get a chance to eat until Gaius’ terrible pea soup. The spoon was tiny so he barely got any of it in his mouth at a time and he was so hungry. 

“How is he?” Gaius asked when Merlin mentioned Oswald.

“He had me carry a heavy wooden chest of three sets of armor up seven flights of stairs,” Merlin anguished. He was about to pick up the soup and start drinking it if he didn’t stop being so hungry soon. 

“That doesn't sound like the young man I knew. He always struck me as a rather kind and thoughtful soul,” Gaius said solemnly. 

“He must have changed,” Merlin said, perhaps a bit rudely. 

“You must remember that not all masters are as good to their servants as Arthur,” Gaius said. 

Merlin choked on the soup. Fuck, he didn’t know it was possible to choke on soup that was entirely liquid. He tapped his fist on his chest to clear his throat. “Arthur threw a vase at my head this morning!” Merlin objected. 

Gaius frowned. “Generally,” he conceded, “Arthur is very kind to you.”

Merlin thought about how Arthur was still keeping Morgana’s secret. Merlin shivered slightly when he remembered Gaius still didn’t know what Morgana and Merlin were doing when they traveled in the woods. Perhaps it was time to discuss that. 

There was a knock at the door. Gwen stepped in without waiting for a response. 

“Merlin, I think you need to come with me,” Gwen said, looking distressed. 

Merlin stood up and followed here without hesitation. “Has something happened?”

“No one’s hurt… yet,” Gwen said.

She lead him to The Rising Sun. Gwaine was very drunk. The barkeep shoved a receipt in his hands. 

“You drank all this?” Merlin asked. 

“With some help from my new friends!” Gwaine cheered. 

The other bar patrons cheered as well. “Yeah!”

The barkeep looked like he was robbed. “He says that he hasn't got any money. So it looks like you'll have to pay,” he growled.

“But...I can't afford this,” Merlin said, a breathy fear in his voice. 

“You better find someone who can,” the man growled.

Gwaine laughed and fell over, being dropped by the person who was holding him up.

Merlin looked around. Gwen had disappeared and Gwaine needed to be hauled back home. Merlin did his best to half drag half support the drunken man he was going to let borrow his bed. 

“You're the best friend I've ever had,” Gwaine said appreciatively. 

“You seem to have quite a few,” Merlin joked. 

Gwaine unceremoniously fell onto Merlin’s bed, laughing. 

“I’d love to see Arthur's face when he gets that bill,” Gwaine said cheerfully. 

His joy was rather contagious and Merlin couldn’t help but smile. 

That was Gwaine’s motive though, trying to bother Arthur. While Merlin had met his fair share of shitty noble’s Gwaine’s hatred seemed to be personal and wide spread. 

“What is it with you and nobles?” Merlin asked. 

Gwaine leaned up against the wall uncomfortably, only letting it support his neck. “Oh, nothing. My father was a knight in Caerleon's army. He died in battle, leaving my mother penniless. And when she went to the King for help, he turned her away.”

“You didn't know him?” Merlin guessed from the look in Gwaine’s eyes.

“Just some stories I've been told,” Gwaine sighed. 

“Yeah, I know how that feels. I only met my father less than a year ago.”

“Why?” Gwaine asked, sitting up slowly, looking slightly pained. 

“He was banished, technically still is.”

“What had he done?” Gwaine leaned forward. 

“Nothing,” Merlin said. “He served the King.”

“But the King turned against him?” Gwaine guessed, his face loosing the relaxed look the alcohol had caused. 

“Uther’s whole plan was to turn against him,” Merlin said with a sarcastic smile. 

“That doesn't surprise me.” Gwaine smiled bitterly, closing his eyes and shaking his head. He seemed much more sober now. 

“Arthur's not like that,” Merlin insisted.

Gwaine laughed. “Maybe. But none of them are worth dying for, eh?” He swung his hand down on Merlin’s shoulder. He leaned backward and hit his head on the wall. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boots and theft

Arthur was quite unhappy to be footing the bill for Gwaine’s night of free spending. Unfortunately in Merlin’s effort to calm his temper he offered to pay for it. That left Merlin to clean the whole army’s shoes. Merlin, of course, dragged Gwaine into it.

Gwen had stopped by and chatted while she cleaned one pair, but she had a busy day and had too head off after that.

“ Arthur is a thoroughbred little braggart,” Gwaine complained. 

Merlin looked disapprovingly at Gwaine’s polishing. He hoped that Gwaine’s poor technique didn’t cause them to re-polish all the shoes Gwaine had. “Why?” he asked. 

“For making us do this.”

“I think it's fair.” Merlin shrugged.

“For the entire army?” Gwaine gestured to the full room of boots lined up around them. 

The throne room wasn’t being used by the nobles today and the space was large enough for all the shoes so they were sitting on the steps there. The conditioned for not having to do it outside instead, which would have been unbearable in the simmer heat, was that they had to scrub the floors afterwards too. 

“If you admitted your father was a knight, you wouldn't have to,” Merlin said, teasing him. 

“Maybe,” Gwaine conceded. “But I'm not making the same mistakes that he did. Anyway, my father always treated his servants well.” Gwaine inspected the boot he was brushing for any remaining dirt. 

Merlin paused. “You didn't know him.” 

“Well, I like to think that he did,” Gwaine said, facing Merlin. He sounded a bit mean in that moment. People don’t like their idealized figures’ flaws being pointed out. “What about yours?”

“He didn’t have any servants,” Merlin explained. “He still doesn’t. He hasn’t had anyone around him for a while and now he’s settled down with people again.”

Gwaine gave him a questioning look. “He served the king, didn’t he?”

“He wasn’t from Camelot,” Merlin explained. “His family didn’t have servants it wasn’t in their culture.”

Gwaine bumped Merlin’s shoulder. “You’re a secret noble too aren’t you?”

Merlin was reminded of how Mordred addressed him when he came to camp. A king in his eyes it seemed. Merlin shook his head. “Nope, I believe that title was stripped from my father when he was banished.”

“If there's one thing that I learned from my father's life-” He brushed the boot emphatically. “-is that titles don't mean anything. It's what's inside-” He tapped the cleaning brush on Merlin’s knee. “-that counts.”

“Ow,” Merlin complained, rubbing his knee. 

They didn’t finish until late that night. Then the two had to wake up before dawn to scrub the floors clean.

Merlin followed Arthur to training and watched his impromptu training session with Sir Oswald. Then he took the knight’s armor back to their chambers. Heaven forbid the supposed strong protectors of the kingdom carried their own heavy items back up the seven flights of stairs. 

He set the armor at the bottom of the bed and went to collect their plates from lunch. There were two swords wrapped in red cloth sitting in the middle of the table. They were dulled like all swords for the melee were. Merlin picked them up, balancing the swords next to each other and observing the unnecessarily dulled edge. 

He set the blades down and went to touch the metal. Immediately after merely grazing the dull edge of the blade, he drew blood. He pulled away, putting pressure on it with his jacket as the knights came in the room and immediately ordered him to leave.

Merlin ran to Gaius and, by virtue of Gwaine being in the room, Gwaine. Gaius carefully bandaged Merlin’s cut as he explained the situation.

“You were lucky. I've seen those blades in action. They're forged using sorcery,” Gwaine said. Merlin went cold. 

Sure, it was awful that someone was trying to hurt Arthur again. Merlin, however was more concerned with something else at the moment. Because now there was a quite distinct possibility that Gwaine had a distaste for magic. 

Merlin forced the worry from his mind. There was nothing he could do about that. There was no chance that would matter until much much later. Gwaine was very much not Lancelot. 

“What would they want with such a blade?” Gaius asked. 

“I think they mean to kill Arthur in the melee,” Merlin said. 

Gaius didn’t believe him. ‘But in front of all those people?”

“It's the perfect cover,” Gwaine said. “If they succeed, nobody will suspect it was intentional.”

Merlin swallowed. “I need to warn Arthur.”

“Merlin, Sir Oswald's a knight. He comes from a well respected family. You can't accuse him without proof,” Gaius warned. He tied off the bandage on Merlin’s finger. 

He could imagine it now. “Only you would manage to cut yourself on a dull blade, Merlin,” Arthur would say. That wasn’t a possibility Merlin wished to entertain.

“Then we need that blade,” Merlin said.

“I’ll get it,” Gwaine said. Brave piece of shit. Gwaine may say he didn’t want to be a knight, but he sure had the making of one. His quarrels with the idea of inherited nobility seemed to be the only thing that was stopping him from being the most knightish knight Camelot had, except maybe if Lancelot were to come back.

“What if they catch you?” Merlin questioned, standing up. “What reason would you have to be in Sir Oswald's chamber? No. It's safer if I do it.”

Merlin formed a stupid plan. He often formed stupid plans. He’s never got any back up plans so when anything goes awry he almost gets run through. 

Just go to their chambers while their sleeping and don’t wake them up and steel a sword. Good job, great plan. It wasn’t such a great plan when Merlin got distracted by the clearly magic crystals on their chests. 

The magic from the crystals rang out in the room sharply. It pulsed and Merlin couldn’t believe he hadn’t felt it before he saw it. 

Merlin crept over to the sleeping man. Carefully he lifted the crystal. Inside was something he didn’t expect, it reflected the face of the thug that Arthur had put in the stocks a few days prior. He saw the eyes of the man in the crystal blink open. The man sleeping in front of him, grabbed his wrist.

Almost instantaneously, Merlin was being pinned against the wall with knives being thrown at him by the two knights. Frantically he made his excuses to Sir Ethan and Sir Oswald. It didn’t mean anything to them. Most likely because they weren’t Sir Ethan and Sir Oswald.

Gwaine walked in just as Merlin made more excuses and had to dodge out of the way of a very sharp sword.

“Is there a problem here?” Gwaine asked.

With Gwaine entering, Merlin saw only chaos could unfold if Gwaine were to break the tense stillness that had set into the room with his entrance. Merlin grabbed the shoulder of Gwaine’s shirt in his fist and dragged him out of the room without another word spoken.

Gwaine protested to the dragging once they were in the hallway.

“Why are you here?” Merlin asked.

“You were taking too long,” Gwaine said. “I was right, you were going to get run through.”

Merlin crossed his arms. “You’re going to go back to Gaius. I’ll meet you there in a bit to tell you the new plan.”

Gwaine hesitantly nodded. He turned down the corridor and went one way. Merlin went the other, heading to Morgana’s chambers. He quickly knocked on her door and hoped he wasn’t waking her up.

He didn’t it seemed as she opened the door just a moment later. Merlin side stepped her into the room.

“I need your help,” Merlin told her.

She was in her nightgown.

“Can it wait until morning?”

“Yes,” Merlin said. “I mean, no. The morning is when I’ll need your help.”

Morgana sighed. “What is it?” She smiles warmly.

“I need you to distract Sir Ethan and Sir Oswald tomorrow while Gwaine and I sneak into their chambers and steal one of the swords they’re going to use in the melee tomorrow,” Merlin says. He continues explaining at her bewildered expression. “The swords are enchanted to look dull but they’re very sharp. I think they’re planning on killing Arthur.”

Morgana nodded. “You can count on me to distract them. What time?”

Merlin tilted his hand from side to side. “Seven-ish.”

Morgan nodded. She opened the door for him to leave.

“Thanks. Goodnight,” he said, feeling a bit embarrassed at disturbing her so late. “Remember to meditate.” He added that only because he realized she wasn’t supposed to be up that late.

Morgana rolled her eyes as he walked out the door. “You interrupted.”

“Goodnight,” Merlin repeated.

He headed back to his chambers to tell Gwaine the plan.

The next morning, Merlin headed to Arthur’s chambers to wake him up and make sure he didn’t need anything. While Arthur was annoyed with the earlier than usual wake up, Merlin got away quickly. He headed to the corridor Sir Ethan and Sir Oswald were staying in and waited around the corner with Gwaine.

They heard the two knights leave their chambers to head to the arena for morning training before the melee. Morgana walked past Merlin and Gwaine, intercepting the knights before they came around the corner.

She’d lead them the opposite direction so that Gwaine and Merlin could sneak into the dead ended corridor. The two slipped behind the group and picked the lock into the knights’ chambers.

Merlin kept watch as Gwaine grabbed one of the enchanted blades.

The question was, who does this get taken too? The king, or the prince. Maybe Gaius.

“Where are we taking this?” Gwaine asked as he followed Merlin down the hallway.

“I don’t know. Usually I try to tell Arthur…” Merlin said.

“Then we go to Arthur,” Gwaine said, walking past Merlin.

Merlin cut in front of him, reminding him he didn’t know where Arthur’s chambers were. When they got there, Arthur wasn’t there. Merlin supposed he’d gone to do the early morning training that he wasn’t supposed to do. The two waited, sitting at Arthur’s table for him to return.

Merlin was supposed to be there anyway to get him ready for the Melee.

Eventually Arthur returned from training and heaved his armor off for the stronger stuff he’d use in the melee as he walked through the door.

Merlin and Gwaine stood up quickly. Merlin was holding the sword.

Merlin rushed to get the first word in. “Sir Ethan and Sir Oswald are planning on killing you in the melee.”

Arthur blinked at the absurdity of the statement. “Do you two have any proof of this?”

“Aye,” Gwaine said. “Merlin cut his hand on their supposedly dulled blade yesterday, discovering they are enchanted.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Only Merlin could cut himself on a dull blade.”

Merlin held out the sword. “I took this from their chambers earlier today. This is one of the blades they were planning on using in the melee.”

Arthur inspected the sword. “This sword is completely dull.”

“It’s enchanted, “ Gwaine explained. “People use them to cheat and make it look like someone died accidentally.”

Arthur looked skeptical.

“Touch it,” Merlin told him. “Carefully.”

Arthur glared at him, disliking the order. He reached out and skimmed the edge of the blade with his left pointer finger. He pulled away, drawing blood.

“What the hell?” Arthur said. He wiped off the blood on his red jacket. It matched perfectly with the mud stains that wouldn’t come out no matter how hard anyone scrubbed.

“We’ll take this too the king,” Arthur said, taking the sword from Merlin. “Get me in my armor first though. You can go Gwaine.”

Gwaine left the room and Merlin hurried to clasp the armor together to get to the king.

Soon they were standing in the king’s hall and Arthur was presenting the sword as one the knights’.

When said knights were called in to be arrested and proven guilty, Merlin rushed forward when the thugs had their arms pinned behind their backs. He grabbed the chain that sat on the back of Sir Oswald’s neck. The thug was revealed to the court in all his audacity.

The king stood quickly. Merlin did the same to Sir Ethan before he said a word. This display of magic furthered their likelihood of execution. The two thugs were taken to the dungeon.

The melee went as it should have without interference. Arthur won of course. It was all very exciting. Merlin stood with Gwaine and Gwen to watch.

“You should find somewhere to stay,” Merlin said that night.

“Are you kicking me out?” Gwaine said, mocking offense.

Merlin shrugged. “I’d like my bed back at some point.” Merlin patted Gwaine’s calf. Gwaine sat up.

“I get the hint.”

“You’re not injured anymore,” Merlin pointed out.

Gwaine heaved himself up. “I don’t know how long I’ll stay, Merlin. I haven’t stayed put anywhere for very long.”

Merlin shrugged. “That’s all right. Just tell me when you leave.”

“Will do,” Gwaine said. He threw his bag over his shoulder. “Tell Arthur he’s paying for my stay at the inn!”

Merlin slept soundly after that, knowing that everyone was safe.

He hadn’t betrayed his kind when turning these magic users in, they were trying to kill Arthur and they probably hadn’t even done any magic themselves. Still, anyone being executed left a pit in Merlin’s stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! <3 <3 <3


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Running from bandits and a prophesy.

Merlin and Arthur had been sprinting for far too long. The air in Merlin’s lungs burned. When they stepped into the Valley of the Fallen Kings, Merlin felt the magic shift. It became thicker and slightly more wild. His legs were still moving faster than his mind.

There were so many bandits. How did Arthur always manage to draw the attention of so many bandits? It was honestly a bit annoying.

The Valley of the Fallen Kings was all together, a nice place. It felt forgotten.

Forgotten in the nice sort of way. Everything was covered in thick soft moss and tangled roots.

Then Arthur got shot with an arrow. He almost immediately collapsed. Merlin managed to hide them both until the bandits had passed.

Merlin started a fire and collected the necessary ingredients for a herbal pouch. He wrapped it and put it in the fire to warm. When it was hot enough, he picked it up with some sticks and tossed it in his hands to make sure it wasn’t too hot.

“ Come on. Dollop head… I need you to recover,” Merlin pleaded after he’d placed the the pouch on Arthur’s forehead. 

Merlin turned him over and looked at the blood seeping into the chainmail. He put his hand on Arthur’s back and cast the first healing spell that came to mind. 

It didn’t do anything. 

“Arthur. You’re an ass. I could work for anyone you know.” Merlin sighed. 

Arthur’s face only grew more ashy. 

Merlin scolded himself not to start grieving yet. “I’m giving you one more chance,” he told the prince.

He put his hand over the wound and tried another spell. It did nothing. Of course it started drizzling in that moment. 

Merlin walked away from his bleeding friend to wash off the blood that coated his palm. He wished his father were here. He’d saved Arthur before. He wished they could get back to Gaius.

He felt cold. He was angry.

Failure.

That’s what he was. He’d fucking failed. He’d failed to save Arthur and he’d failed in his destiny. 

“Tell me, why are you so sad?” a man who had appeared from no where asked.

“He's dying and I can't help him,” Merlin said. The tears rolled down his cheeks harder. He dug his fist into the soft soil and looked over his shoulder to where Arthur was dying.

“Then do not waste your tears,” the man said. “For I can tell you that the time for him to die is not yet upon us.”

“Destiny is bullshit,” Merlin croaked out past the tears. “None of it means anything.”

The man ignored his troubling words and walked over to Arthur. “Don't be afraid. My name is Taliesin.”

Taliesin had pale skin and a short white beard and hair. He wore a long robe and a longer coat. It disguised his shape.

“I’m Merlin.” His introduction was hesitant.

“I know who you are,” Taliesin replied immediately. “The moment of our meeting has been written for many, many years. You are Emrys.” Taliesin got down on his knees next to Arthur.

Merlin watched him put his hand on Arthur’s back in the same way he had done. Taliesin mumbled an enchantment and the difference was immediate. The blood was back in Arthur’s face.

“Arthur?” Merlin said when Arthur stirred slightly.

“He is sleeping. Within hours he will be fully recovered,” Taliesin said. 

“Are you sure?”

“If my memory serves me well,” Taliesin said casually.

“What do you mean?” Merlin asked. Taliesin turned away from Arthur and started walking away. 

Taliesin looked into Merlin’s eyes, standing very close. He ignored Merlin’s question. “I want to show you something, Merlin.”

“What?” Merlin asked as he followed the old man quickly walking away.

“You must wait and see.”

Merlin was lead to a cave. He was getting no substantial answers from Taliesin. All his questions were met with vague remarks about “understanding soon”. 

The cave was sweltering with magic. It seemed almost every inch of the cave walls were coated in massive quarts crystals. 

“This is where magic began. It is the Crystal Cave,” Taliesin said.

Merlin chances a glance, looking deeper into one of these crystals. He saw Morgana sitting on the throne of Camelot, being crowned queen. He saw a flash of himself as a terribly old man with a long long beard. Merlin retracted his gaze.

“What is it you see?” Taliesin asked. 

“Images. Flashes,” Merlin said. He’d never seen anything like it. He’d heard stories of scrying and other methods of prophesy from the druids. 

“Look into them, Emrys. Really look. Much will be revealed.”

Merlin turned to look at the crystal but ripped his gaze away. 

“No! Take me out of here.” His feet felt stuck. Every muscle in his body felt like it was sinking into the magic here. “How do I get back to Arthur?” Merlin said. The thick magic felt like it was seeping into him. Like he was sitting in a lake and becoming part of the water. 

“The future is hidden to all but a very few, Emrys. You are one such person,” Taliesin said. Merlin hesitated. “Perhaps there is a reason you were brought here at this moment in time.”

“What reason?” Merlin asked. It would have to have something to do with Arthur. Something to do with his almost dying just now, he supposed. 

“Only the crystals can tell you. They contain futures that are not yet born. The secrets they reveal, Emrys, are unique to you, and you alone. Look into them, Emrys. Really look. Use what you see for good.”

Merlin walked further into the cave, feeling where the magic was pulling him. Merlin saw Morgana as she calmed a rearing horse. Then a flash of Morgana closely inspecting and unsheathing an ornate dagger. He saw Morgana walking down a corridor in a billowing red cloak. He saw her attach the dagger to a belt. He saw he pull the knife out of the belt in the king’s chambers. He saw he raise the knife to strike him dead. He saw Uther awaken in shock. 

“What was that?” Merlin said. He found himself with a pounding head ache lying on the floor of the cave. The magic in the air still uncomfortably mixed with his own. 

Taliesin was gone. 

Merlin shook as he made his way out of the cave and back to Arthur. The magic from the cave slowed him down like thick tar. It stuck to him as he left, it seemed to trail behind him as it slowly fell off. 

Eventually he made it back to Arthur. 

Arthur still hadn’t woken up.

It only took a bit more waiting. Arthur didn’t wake up slowly. 

<>*<>

Arthur didn’t understand why Merlin was being so quiet. 

“I don't understand. You said I had an arrow in my back. How come all I can feel is a slight bruise?” 

“Don't know,” Merlin said.

They were trudging through a field. Not horribly far from Camelot for being without horses. “Merlin,” Arthur scolded. Merlin looked back at him blankly, though not with disrespect. “Something happen you're not telling me about?”

“No.” He turned back around after giving him a confused look. 

“Come on. I'm missing your usual prattle.” Something bad always happened when Merlin didn’t talk. Then again, something bad always happened when Merlin did talk. But when Merlin wasn’t talking it meant that there was something especially bad coming.

“Certainly making up for it,” Merlin remarked. At least Merlin was still trying to insult him. 

Arthur ignored the rudeness, counting it as some sort of success. “Still haven't answered my question,” he said.

“The arrow didn't pierce your armor, and when you fell, you knocked yourself out,” Merlin explained shortly. 

Sure, like that made sense. His head would hurt if that were true. “All right. I don't normally say things like this, but…” Is this really how he was going to get Merlin to talk? Desperate times, he supposes. “you did a good job back there.” Merlin didn’t react. He just kept walking through the tall grass. “Did you hear what I just said?” He just kept stomping forward. “All right. Maybe I should give you some kind of reward. What do you want?”

“Some peace and quiet,” Merlin said.

Something was wrong with Merlin. He was also determined to keep walking faster than Arthur. Both things were quite annoying. 

When they got home, Arthur reported the bandits to the king and headed back to his chambers. Merlin still wouldn’t say anything when he was taking off his armor. 

Arthur does his best to ignore his servant’s quietness as it doesn’t seem like he can speed up the process of something horrible happening. Or maybe this time nothing horrible will happen and Merlin will go back to normal without it for once. 

The next morning Merlin was acting normal again. Until Arthur told him what he’d be getting Morgana for her birthday. Because of course something as simple as getting her a dagger would make Merlin freeze up again. It made him wonder if Morgana had any insights on the matter.

When Arthur got back to his chambers after getting Morgana her gift, Merlin came in as well. 

“Ah, Merlin. Have you done my clothes for the feast?” Arthur asked. He knew quite well that Merlin hadn’t. They were sitting on on the floor next to him. 

“No,” Merlin answered after a moment of his face twisting about. 

“No, no. Well, what have you been doing?” Arthur asked. As far as he could tell Merlin had run off, ignoring his duties. Today was important and clearly whatever Merlin was worried about wasn’t going to happen soon. 

Arthur gave him the things that needed to be done before the party that night. Merlin seemed more interested in the metal box in front of Arthur.

“Ah, Morgana's present. What do you think?” Arthur asked. He took the dagger out the be box and held it up for Merlin to inspect. The dagger was marvelously crafted. It was simplistic in it’s design, with sharp angles and rounding curves. The handle was wrapped in a soft leather that was pressed into the metal. “Beautiful, isn't it? Feel the balance, feel the sharpness of the blade.” 

Merlin took it and seemed to relax as he held it. What on earth about this knife could make him silent one minute and almost happy the next. 

“Yeah. It's just what Morgana wants, isn't it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing. Just, Morgana usually likes other things. I haven’t known her nearly as long as you though, I’m sure she’ll like it.” Merlin handed the blade back to Arthur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for 400 kudos!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parties and healing.

Merlin was planning on enjoying the party. Then, of course, there had to be another thread of what was in the crystal. Arthur changed his gift. Merlin’s gut filled with dread.

Merlin felt like an idiot. Of course nothing had changed. Would Morgana really kill Uther to become queen? He hadn’t even realized that would be something she wanted. Could he talk her out of it?

Kilgharrah had told him it would be better if Morgana didn’t know how much power she held. This couldn’t have been caused by that, right? Merlin had made sure she felt safe, made sure she wouldn’t react with fear when it could be helped.

Merlin dreaded what she’d have become if she’d never met the druids.

He considered keeping watch outside her room that night. He couldn’t understand what motive Morgana had to kill Uther now. Why would hat horse from earlier that day have been in the crystal’s image if it hadn’t been connected? Is magic sentient enough to know how things connect? Merlin didn’t know if he could answer that ever.

Merlin ended up deciding that he’d talk to her in the morning. Maybe he’d be able to tell her what he saw in the crystals. She was a seer, maybe she’d understand.

After the party, Merlin made sure the probably a bit too drunk Arthur made it to bed safely and left him to rest. Before he went to bed himself, he headed to see Gwen. Before he got to her house, he ran into her in the hallway, talking to Gwaine.

Gwaine looked a little enchanted with her, while she looked rather sad, fiddling with an ornate cloth in her hands. Merlin decided that they probably wouldn’t appreciate being interrupted, Gwen looked far to deep in thought. So, Merlin turned around and went to bed.

He regretted this. He woke up to warning bells ringing. Had the king been killed while he slept? He shot up and saw there were candles lit on the other side of the door. He rushed out and saw Arthur carrying Morgana in.

“What happened?” He asked.

“There was an intruder,” Arthur said as he lifted her onto a table. “The guards might have them, I don’t know.”

“What’s happened to Morgana?” Merlin asked as he rushed closer to her. Gaius shooed him away before he could see anything wrong.

“Get some rosemary,” Gaius told him.

Arthur hadn’t taken his eyes off her.

Merlin quickly snatched a bundle of rosemary off the wall of herbs.

A guard barged in as Gaius was asking Gwen to fetch water.

“The intruder has been caught.”

Arthur followed the guard out of the room without another word.

Merlin finally got to see what had happened. There was a thin cut on Morgana’s temple. Gaius was struggling to stop the blood from flowing out of the awkward wound.

Merlin shivered.

This hadn’t been in the crystal. How could this happen? No one had ever targeted Morgana before. Who could have done this?

Merlin helped prep the ointment that would go on after Gaius had stitched her up. The stitching was a slow process. The blood kept getting in the way.

Merlin thanked everything that the attacker hadn’t gone for her heart. Barely holding on was better than dead.

Merlin went back to bed. He doesn’t know if anyone else did. It was hard to sleep. He had to though. Eventually he made himself drift off.

The next day was horrible. Arthur was irritable and picky. The whole castle seemed to be grieving Morgana. She hadn’t woken up by noon the next day.

“I cannot watch her die, Gaius,” Merlin heard Uther say as he sat in his room. The door was slightly open. 

“I wish there was something I could do,” Gaius said.

“No, you don't understand. I cannot lose her. No matter what happens, she cannot die.”

“I will do everything I can, Sire.”

“No, Gaius. Whatever it takes. Whatever, I don't care. You must save her.”

“If I knew a way…”

“You're not understanding me, Gaius.” Uther’s voice got harsh. “Cure her. I don't care what remedy you use. In all these books there must be something. Something in the Old Religion?”

“Are you suggesting?” Gaius whispered.

“Sorcery, yes,” Uther affirmed.

“I know she's dear to you, Sire, but surely you're not going to risk everything for Morgana?”

“Gaius, you don't understand. There's something you should know. Something I've told no one. Morgana is my daughter. It was while Gorlois was away.”

“He was fighting on the Northern Plains. Her mother, Vivienne, grew lonely.”

“I understand, Sire.”

“I’ve said enough. The people must never know who Morgana really is, for Arthur's sake.”

“I assure you, Sire, your secret is safe with me.”

Christ. So Morgana did have claim to the throne. More importantly, the king had given Gaius permission to use magic. That meant Merlin could heal Morgana.

Before the king even left the room Merlin was lifting up the floor boards to grab his magic book. He’d need to find a strong healing spell. It’d need to fix the fracture in her skull.

He’d found the spell before Gaius had crept up to his room. 

“I overheard,” Merlin rushed to say, though he could tell Gaius already knew. He lifted up the spell book and pointed to the page. “This one.”

Gaius looked over the page and nodded slowly. “If you can get it to work…”

“I can.”

The two left Merlin’s room and Gaius locked the door to his own chambers. It’d be awful if anyone were to walk in unannounced. Merlin ignored the fact that Morgana’s attacker was to be executed in mere minutes and got to work. 

Merlin pulled up a chair beside her. He took a deep breath, reached out his hand, and cast the spell.

Merlin cast that spell twenty-three times, becoming more weary and more concerned. Finally, just as the sun started setting, the spell worked. Merlin saw the bone heal under the stitched skin.

Morgana began breathing deeper.

Only a few hours later, she woke up. It was amazing.

Everything was all right.

Morgana came to Merlin’s chambers the next morning, before even Gaius had woken up. She looked pissed.

Did she figure out Merlin had magic?

“Uther’s my father,” she choked out. “That fucking bitch.”

She looked like she wanted to break something, badly. She looked like she wanted to raise the kingdom.

Perhaps this is where the prophesy had come from. The bloodlust Morgana felt now.

Merlin stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his friend. The morning was chilly. Morgana cried softly into his shoulder.

“He wouldn’t even acknowledge it.”

Merlin pulled back from her and smiled. He had an idea.

“How about we go to the druids early. We could help them move their camp this season.”

“That’s right, there moving their camp for spring,” Morgana remembered. “That’s a fantastic idea.”

Morgana went to tell the king. She told Merlin that she’d tell him that it’d be therapeutic and she’d get Gaius’ permission as well. Merlin made sure that there was a servant to take care of Arthur while he was away for a few days. It’d be a longer trip than usual because of the time it takes to move camps.

He prepared the horses, making sure to pack extra empty water skins. He made sure there was enough food for a week and a half. He didn’t know how long it would all take. Merlin hoped that coming unannounced wouldn’t be an issue.

They started ridding out before most of the citadel had finished waking up. The grass was still damp with morning dew.

Merlin saw the tension ease out of Morgana as they rode away.

“You must feel… betrayed.”

“I feel exactly that,” Morgana said. “He is a sad old man ruled by his fear.” She sighed. “I can’t wait till Arthur is king.”

“Me too,” Merlin whispered, only because he knew the words were treason.

“I can’t wait too see Mordred though,” Morgana said.

Pleased with the change of subject, Merlin smiled. “Yeah, I can’t wait for him to show me all the new things he’s learned.”

It didn’t take long for them to get there. Morgana had started covering their tracks behind them with magic so they didn’t have to take a long route to get there. Merlin was glad that she’d started doing this, it made the chance of her finding out about his magic on these trips go down.

When they got to the camp, they’d already started packing up. They were welcomed quickly and had no time to rest from their trip before they were being invited to help.

Mordred was chatting away in Merlin’s mind as the two were helping with the non-spellwork portions of packing. There was lots and lots of cloth to be folded and lots of tent frames to be deconstructed and sorted.

“Did you know about a spell that can make someone falling go super slow?” Mordred asked in his mind. “We’re learning it. We’ve been getting to jump off of big rocks to practice it.”

“That sounds fun,” Merlin commented.

That night, everyone slept with the barest of essentials to keep them warm. Many fires were lit and families cuddled around their children to make sure they were warm enough without the protection from the wind the tents gave.

In the morning, most of the camp got up before dawn, preparing food for everyone. When everyone had eaten the warm bread, everyone got their packs. Merlin and Morgana were the only ones who were ridding horses, they made up for that by adding some of the camp’s supplies to their horses’ load.

Aglain had whispered into Mordred’s ear that he might be able to convince Merlin or Morgana to ride with them on their horses. The problem was, they both accepted, and Mordred didn’t know who to ride with. Mordred settled on the idea of switching who he was riding with every time they walked with their horses instead of riding on them. He’d started with riding with Morgana.

They got halfway to the camp that day. When it was almost sundown, someone ran ahead to find a good place to camp. Once again, everyone ate, and huddled together for sleep. The next morning was the same as the last.

It was a wonderful journey. Merlin could tell Morgana was enjoying herself. She was using magic freely and relishing in it. Little kids were gawking at some of her more glittery displays.

It was like a party, though a quiet one. It was wonderful.

No one noticed it in time for them to prevent from being surrounded though. It seemed like there was an entire army around them in an instant. They were horribly outnumbered. Parents were trying to get there kids safe. Blades were clashing and magic was being slung.

Merlin grabbed a sword as he tried to keep Mordred out of harms way.

“Emrys, please,” Mordred mind spoke to him. “use your magic.”

The whole world seemed to be chaos. Merlin wasn’t prepared to let a druid die.

The makeshift battle field was flooded with Merlin’s magic. Merlin made it too the top of a tree, where he could see everything happening. He knew he’d be spotted, but he didn’t care. He let his magic be unleashed, letting it flow instinctively to protect the children. His magic dropped large invisible weights on the soldier’s heads. Soon they weren’t so out numbered.

With Merlin’s power flowing so openly, everyone magical could feel Emrys’ presence. Soon the battle was done.

Merlin recognized the uniforms to be from Essetir.

“You have magic,” Morgana stated as Merlin defended the tree.

Merlin hung his head, bracing himself for an angry response. “I do.”

The druids started bowing to him.

“Stop it,” he commanded them before Morgana could comment.

“Emrys—” One druid started protesting.

“I’d appreciate it if you all still called me by the name my mother gave me,” Merlin said.

It seemed everyone understood that, as no one protested.

“We need to get moving, quickly,” Merlin reminded Aglain when no one stopped staring at him.

Aglain made the announcement, and everyone picked up their things. No one had died and no one had received more than a cut.

Merlin scooped Mordred back onto his horse. He and Morgana rode side by side.

“Ask your questions,” he sighed.

“Why didn’t you tell me,” she sounded slightly hurt.

“I thought it would put you in danger. I also just… didn’t want to have to tell Arthur. Please don’t tell him.”

“Why not?” Morgana asked. “Why not tell Arthur?”

“Because I’m scared,” Merlin said, though it hurt to say. “I’ve been keeping it a secret for so long. For so long, telling him meant possible death. I just can’t get that out of my head enough to even properly consider telling him.”

“What if I told him for you,” Morgana suggested.

A wave of terror flowed through Merlin. “No.” His voice was harsh and cold. He didn’t mean for there to be magic in his word.

Morgana shivered.

“I guess this means I can mind talk with you and Mordred at the same time now,” Merlin mind spoke cheerfully.

“Mordred knew!” Morgana asked verbally.

Merlin nodded. “He sensed my magic the first time he was in Camelot.”

“Emrys is the most powerful sorcerer to walk the earth,” Mordred explained in their minds. “And Merlin is Emrys.”

“I was doing magic before I could walk.”

The rest of their trip was filled with the three of them mind speaking to each other. They’d tell stories of exciting encounters with magic. Merlin told more pg versions of the more gruesome stories.

They’d reached the new camp later than they wanted to, but it was still before midnight. They ate their late dinner in the dim firelight and huddled together for sleep. Mordred insisted on getting the cot next to Emrys. Some of the other kids protested, because he wasn’t even the youngest who wanted too. Merlin, of course, let him.

The next few days were filled with tilling soil and setting up tent after tent after tent. The snow hadn’t quite melted from winter yet in some places, Merlin was called upon to help melt the snow. They planted seeds they’d collected the previous year.

At the end of the week, Merlin and Morgana left. Merlin made sure Morgana had no thoughts of killing the king before they went home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seeing you guys on discord has been so much fun! <3


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very important quest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here you go <3!

Merlin watched as Arthur kneeled in the throne room. He was supposed to stay there all night. He was supposed to be doing something oddly close to magic. Arthur was trying to reach out to the world and find a quest to prove himself.

Merlin planned to stay all night and watch. Unfortunately, Merlin didn’t stay up all night. He woke up too the king and the king’s men walking past him into the throne room.

Arthur revealed his quest to the court. “ I am to enter the realm of the Fisher King and find the golden trident spoken of in the legends of The Fallen Kings.”

Merlin found another servant to tend to Arthur’s breakfast in case he doesn’t decide to dine with the king. Then across the castle he went to eat soup for breakfast with Gaius.

“Who’s the Fisher King?” Merlin asked. He dipped his bread into his soup.

“He was a sorcerer who lived many hundreds of years ago,” Gaius said. 

Merlin waited. “And?” he pressed.

Gaius gave him an unimpressed look. Merlin all too commonly interrupted their meals with questions that lead to unpleasant stories. “Legend has it he was wounded in battle,” Gaius explained. “The wound festered and the infection spread, not just through his body, but through his lands as well. His mighty kingdom was reduced to a wasteland, and it has remained that way to this very day.”

Merlin took another bite and paused. “I don't understand. Why is Uther so worried?”

“Some believe the Fisher King's still alive, kept from death by his magic.”

Merlin tilted his head. “What about you?”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not.” Gaius ate a spoonful of soup. “But the people of the north call the area The Perilous Lands. Few who have ever ventured there have lived to tell the tale.”

“Ah,” Merlin said. He dipped another chunk of bread into the soup and ate it. “And Arthur will be going alone.”

“It is an important quest, Merlin.”

“Sure it is.”

Merlin discussed the quest with Morgana later that evening. She had nothing but confidence in Arthur’s abilities to complete the quest. Merlin couldn’t help but feel nervous about it. 

Merlin quickly found the place Gwaine had hidden himself for the night so he didn’t have to pay for lodgings anywhere.

“Do you want to get a drink,” Merlin asked.

“Merlin!” The man cheered. “Drinks sounds lovely!” He shot up to standing.

Merlin took a step away from him. “One drink, Gwaine.”

“All right, I suppose that’ll do if you’re paying,” Gwaine said. He started to saunter in the direction of the nearby tavern. “Arthur certainly doesn’t pay you enough.”

“He pays me just fine,” Merlin contradicted. “You just think all nobles should pay everyone more.”

“Aye. But especially Arthur should pay you more,” Gwaine corrected as he pushed open the door too the tavern.

The two took a seat at a random table near a back corner. 

“So what’s the occasion?” Gwaine asked after Merlin ordered their drinks.

“What do you mean?”

“You wouldn’t just buy me a drink for nothing. So, what’s the occasion?”

Merlin shrugged. “Arthur’s going on a quest tomorrow.”

“What, and you’re worried about him?” Gwaine asked.

“Yes.”

The barman brought over their drinks and Gwaine took a swig.

“Why?” Gwaine asked.

“He’s going to the Perilous Lands,” Merlin said. He took a small sip.

“I’ve been there, I came out just fine.”

“Why did you go to the Perilous Lands?”

Gwaine shrugged. “For fun.”

“And what, you’re fine so Arthur will be?”

“Exactly!” Gwaine said. “He’s almost as tough as me, he can take it.”

Merlin gave him a weary look. “Almost as tough as you?”

“Sure,” Gwaine said, taking another swig.

Merlin accepted that he wasn’t getting a better answer than that. “What’s it like there.”

“Lots of it’s very hot. Other bits not so much. There’s a big dead swamp I almost drowned it. Too much quicksand there, but plenty of things to lift yourself out with.” Gwaine downed his drink. He raised his glass, asking the barman for another.

Merlin passed Gwaine his own drink.

“You don’t want it?”

Merlin shook his head. “You can have it.” He stood up, dropping a few coins on the table for his bill. “I’m going to turn in and hope for the best.”

“Aye, you do that.”

Merlin left Gwaine alone at the bar, hoping he wouldn’t have an impossible to pay bill this time.

The next morning, Merlin was making sure Arthur’s horse was ready for travel. When Arthur mounted his horse, a gem on his wrist sung out to Merlin. He stared at the thing, feeling it’s disgusting magic sit there.

“What’s that?” Merlin asks. He’s not willing to tell Arthur about his magic now. Especially not in front of all these people.

“A gift from a townsperson, for good luck,” Arthur said. “Isn’t it nice?”

Merlin shakily nodded. There was nothing he could do it seemed.

As soon as everyone had started heading back inside, Merlin intercepted Morgana and went back to Gaius’ chambers. He told them both of the gem and they started digging though book after book.

“ It's an Eye of the Phoenix,” Gaius said. He held out a book with a drawing of the exact shape of the metal that surrounded the stone.

“Phoenix?” Morgana asked.

“Some call it the Firebird. Its eye burns with a fire that consumes the life force of anybody it comes in contact with. The Eye will draw energy from Arthur. If it's worn for too long, he will die.”

“I have to go after him,” Merlin said.

“This is not a task to be undertaken lightly, Merlin. You'll need help.”

“I’m going with him,” Morgana said.

They quickly gathered their things.

When Morgana met him in the courtyard, still wearing the same clothes as before, Merlin knew something was wrong.

“The king said that I could come,” she said furiously. “It’d take to long for me to sneak out with you. You need to get going as soon as you can.”

Merlin nodded. “I’ll get Gwaine.”

“Good choice.”

With that, Merlin dashed to find Gwaine. It wasn’t long before the man accepted the journey and they had left.

They rode for a long time. They slept through the night, confident they’d be able to catch up to Arthur the next day. 

They came across rugged terrain after they’d entered the Perilous Lands.

“That’s Arthur’s horse,” Merlin said as the two dismounted their own horses. Merlin searched the horse for signs of trouble. 

“He must have thought he’d be coming back before nightfall,” Gwaine commented, pointing at the bed roll still attached to the horse. 

Merlin nodded. Gwaine helped him tie up their horses next to Arthur’s. The creek trickled by for the horses to drink from. Gwaine and Merlin each took a drink. 

Then they quietly walked along the jagged roots that created large dips in the pathway forward. The tree roots began forming walls around them until they came across a bridge. 

They walked forward towards the bridge, trying not to disturb anything. There was a small fire heating a suspended pot. Their footsteps didn’t make a sound. 

A man appeared from no where. It looked like he’d been hiding in a dusty beam of sunlight. There was no way he’d been there before though. 

“Ah, Finally! Magic and Strength has arrived, the trio is complete,” the man said. He took a step forward so he was on the edge of the bridge. 

“What?” Gwaine said. Merlin gave the man a perplexed look. Gwaine was just about ready to draw his sword. 

“There is nothing to be afraid of. Your presence is essential if Arthur is to succeed on his quest,” The man said. 

Gwaine pulled his sword. With a flash of the short man’s eyes, the sword turns into a large flower.

“You called us Strength and Magic?” Gwaine said.

“How do you know about Arthur? Who are you?” Merlin said, not wanting to waste time with Gwaine’s questions now, though he’d prefer to know the answers as well. 

“The Keeper of the Bridge. I only wish to see the Fisher King's lands restored and prosperity reign again. Until your mission is complete, this cannot happen.”

“It's not my mission, it's Arthur’s.”

“That's what you choose to believe. It's no accident that Arthur chose this path or you chose to follow him.” Gwaine glared. “I mean no harm to either of you. And I'd thank you to mean no harm in return.”

“Give me my sword,” Gwaine said.

“It will return to you when you’ve crossed the bridge.” Gwaine glared and started walking across the narrow bridge. “The Fisher King has waited many years for this day. Do not deny him what he wishes.”

Merlin nodded. He continued forward, following Gwaine.

“Did you think we were going to have to solve a riddle?” Merlin asked shyly.

Gwaine laughed. “I did, yes.”

“I’m really surprised we didn’t.”

“Ah, but we’re not in a fairy tale, Merlin.”

“I suppose we aren’t.”

They continued, walking in silence. 

They didn’t talk until they reached a very dead and very wet area and the sky grew dark.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dead swamp, a Fisher King, and a journey back.

Merlin broke off branches from the trees and Gwaine lit the fire. They didn’t have anything to eat, having left it with the horses, assuming they’d return. Even if Merlin had any hunting skills, there was nothing to hunt out there.

There was a possibility of hunting whatever was making those god awful screeching noises. Neither Merlin nor Gwaine was hungry enough to do that though.

“You can turn back if you want,” Merlin says solemnly. 

“Heh, I'm not scared of pheasants,” Gwaine jokes. Both know there’s no way it’s pheasants making all the ruckus. 

“Why do you want to do this?”

“Same reason as you: help a friend.” Gwaine searches the night around them for movement, leaning on his sword slightly as he sits. 

“Arthur's lucky to have us.”

“Not Arthur.” Gwaine smiles. 

“I’d do the same for you.”

“Well, I'd hope so. You're the only friend I've got.”

“I’m not surprised.” 

Gwaine chuckles. 

They sit in silence for some time.

“That man on the bridge,” Gwaine said. He paused for a moment. Merlin turned his head to look at him. He was staring into the fire. “He called you magic.”

Merlin nodded. “I thought you’d ask about that…”

“What did he mean?”

Merlin decided to cast a small spell on the embers of the fire instead of explaining. They formed into a small butterfly for a moment. He’d never told anyone he has magic. He didn’t really have the words for it. If there was anyone he was going to tell he had magic, it would be Arthur. 

Arthur got to be told. Arthur was going to be the first person he told. He could almost imagine telling Arthur in that moment. 

“I suspected that’s what he meant,” Gwaine said when the butterfly vanished. Merlin nodded. “And you live in Camelot? Working for the prince?”

Merlin chuckled. “That I do. You’re not worried by it, are you?”

Gwaine laughed, almost to the point where Merlin thought it was fake. He shook his head. “Just be sure not to mention me when you’re arrested.”

Merlin knew it was supposed to be a lighthearted comment, but it made a cold pit in his stomach. Just the thought of being arrested and brought out to the square to burn made him freeze up. 

“We should go to bed,” Merlin said, all joyful emotion gone from his tone. 

He laid down, resting his head on a softer dry piece of wood. 

Somewhere, Gwaine did the same. They both fell asleep despite the distant screeching.

When Merlin woke up the next morning, he didn’t wait for Gwaine to get up before he started burying the fire. They didn’t have any rations, so keeping the fire lit to stay warm as they ate wasn’t necessary.

Merlin had to get to Arthur. He had no idea how much longer Arthur could last with the phoenix eye draining him. He couldn’t fail Arthur like that. 

Merlin made quick work of the fire, using his magic to pack dirk over any still blazing embers. The sun had only barely risen and Merlin wasn’t going to wait around for Gwaine to wake up. Merlin shook the man awake and the two got moving. 

The two hiked the rough terrain until they saw the dark tower. 

“Those aren’t birds,” Gwaine said, slightly out of breath from the difficult walk.

Merlin shook his head. “ I don’t know what those things are.”

“I think they’re hunting something.”

Merlin checked for himself. They seemed to be circling something. He saw a glint of metal reflect in the sunlight far away. 

“A sword,” Gwaine commented. 

“Arthur.” 

The creatures were hunting Arthur.

Merlin started running. The slight chill of the land made it more difficult. The creatures followed Arthur into the tower. 

Merlin didn’t mind using magic to push the dry chill from his chest every other moment so he could continue running without falter. The two reached the entrance to the tower just as one of the scaly creatures flew out away from it. 

That one had given up on chasing Arthur it seemed.

Gwaine glanced up at the creature as it flew up the side of the tower. “I should’ve known.”

“Known what?”

“That they’re Wyverns. Distant cousins of the dragon. They’ve got no arms and none of the age. They’re magic though. I suppose you don’t need to worry about that?”

Merlin chuckled. 

They rushed into a dusty courtyard. Merlin saw Arthur’s footprints in the sandy rubble. He and Gwaine followed them to a closed gate. 

Merlin started to lift the the gate. Gwaine looked to the space on the other side. 

“Use magic, Arthur won’t see.”

Merlin nodded, stepping back and commanding the gate to move upwards as they walked underneath it. It fell wen they got to the other side.

They could hear the screeching wyverns flying above them. They didn’t stop making noise, perhaps to scare their pray. 

Merlin and Gwaine were closer to Arthur now, though there were no more footprints to follow. They decided to split up, hopefully one of them would be able to get to Arthur before the phoenix eye got him killed. 

Merlin’s gut churned. Merlin followed the sounds of the wyvern’s inside the castle. He had to get to Arthur.

He stumbled into a room. Arthur was passed out on the floor. The two wyverns were stalking closer. Each had two sets of horns on their heads and eyes filled with mindless fury. They had spines down their backs and more at every joint of their wings. They almost looked like chickens. Very scary, about to murder the most important person in Merlin’s life, chickens. Their mat black-grey scales made them looked almost dead. 

Merlin commanded the air to knock the two beasts into the wall. They both collapsed to the floor. 

Merlin crouched down next to Arthur’s unconscious body. 

The phoenix eye was glowing on his wrist. Merlin ripped it off. Arthur immediately showed signs of waking up. He opened his eyes like they’d never been closed and glanced around the room looking confused. He found Merlin in all his looking.

“ What the hell are you doing here?” Arthur asked, sitting up. 

Merlin couldn’t stop grinning. “Why can you never just say thanks?”

Because Arthur’s okay. He’s not being eaten alive by wyverns. He hasn’t fallen in quick sand. He hasn’t been toasted in his armor. 

“Thanks?!” Arthur repeated. “For What? For completely ruining the quest?!”

“Well, it's good I was here, otherwise you'd be wyvern fodder by now.”

“How many times do I have to get it into your thick skull? I am suppose to be doing this alone!” Arthur yelled.

Another Wyvern was suddenly in the doorway. Before Merlin or Arthur could even think what to do, Gwaine was stabbing it in the back. 

“Great. This just gets better and better,” Arthur lamented. “Are Gwen and Morgana here too? Are we going to have a surprise party?”

Gwaine ignored him. “There're more wyverns on their way. We need to get out of here.”

“Morgana actually wanted to come, but Uther wouldn’t let her leave the castle.”

“I’m not leaving without the trident. It was the whole point of this quest.” 

Merlin followed after him, Gwaine followed along. They walked up an unstable looking spiral staircase that proved to be very structurally sound. Though it still looked like merlin could knock out a step with one well aimed kick. 

Merlin didn’t dare try and stop Arthur from leading the quest forward. Arthur didn’t seem too inclined to get the two of them to leave him behind either. Whatever sanctity the quest had had previously, was gone. So they trekked forward. 

Arthur was wandering the castle, it seemed. There wasn’t any clues to find, after all. After studying the walls of an odd room that gave them no information, Merlin ended up in back. They climbed another spiral staircase that looked like the stairs could be kicked out just as easily as the first. 

Arthur and Gwaine walked right past the throne room. Merlin felt a breeze coming from it, he would have walked past too without it. 

“Look at this,” Merlin called out to Arthur. “Looks like a throne room.”

Gwaine and Arthur came back down the stairs while Merlin took slow steps forward. 

“If the trident's going to be anywhere…” Arthur said.

Merlin took a slow step forward. A stone under his foot sank down.

“Merlin, watch out!” Gwaine shouted as he shoved Merlin into the room. 

A large stone slab slides down where Arthur was standing. 

Merlin turned around to face the stone. “Arthur! Gwaine!” he bellowed. He couldn’t hear anything on the other side. 

Merlin turned back to face the poorly lit throne room. He walked towards the throne that sat, facing away from him, at the other end of the room. 

“So, Emrys, you are here at last,” Merlin heard a faint voice say.

Merlin slowly crept up and around the throne. 

The Fisher King sat there, covered in cobwebs and as old as anything, but he was alive. 

“So, you are still alive,” Merlin whispered. 

“For now.”

A loud crumbling came from the other side of the stone.

“That would be--” Merlin said. 

“Your friends. Courage and Strength, I know. Without their help, you would not be here.”

Merlin nodded. “What do those names mean? a bridge keeper called us them as well.”

“I do not know their given names, Emrys,” the Fisher King said. “Just as I do not know yours. These are the names you were given in the oldest texts that foretold this day. Though I do wish it came sooner.”

Merlin tried to puzzle out what that meant. What that said about his destiny. He didn’t get anywhere before he realized he didn’t like the growing silence. He’d think about it later. 

“What is it you want?” Merlin asked.

The Fisher King sighed. “I want an end to my suffering.”

“You want to die.”

“I have been waiting all these years for the arrival of a new time: the time of the Once and Future King.”

“I’ve heard these words before.”

“And you will hear them again. For that time is dawning, and my time finally can come to an end. This is why you were brought here. For this is not your King’s quest, it is yours. Courage thinks the prize is the trident.” He looked at the trident in his hand. He released it. It clattered to the floor, the sound echoed around the room. “But the real prize is something far greater.” 

The king holds out a vial of liquid, protected in wooden bars. “Water… from the Lake of Avalon. I've kept it safe these years, waiting for the right person to claim it. And that is you. You are the one chosen.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Albion's time of need is near. And in that dark hour you must be strong, for you alone can save her. Your powers are great, but you will need help. And that is what I'm giving you.”

Merlin stepped forward and took the vial out of the Fisher King’s outstretched hand. 

“When all seems lost, this will show you the way.”

“Thank you.”

The Fisher King requested the the bracelet that previously condemned Arthur to death. Merlin slid it onto the king’s bracelet and the old man turned to dust. The magic of the Fisher King vanished. The man who Merlin had been so consciously respectful of was gone. 

The stone door at the other end of the room opened partially and Arthur rolled in underneath it. 

“Merlin,” Arthur greeted, walking past him into the room and thumping him on the shoulder. 

Gwaine came in behind Arthur and rolled his eyes at Arthur’s uncaring nature. 

“Ha! Look what I found!” Arthur said, holding up the Fisher King’s trident. “Now let's get out of this place.”

The three walked out of the dark tower without worry of Wyverns. 

Merlin hadn’t been paying much attention to Gwaine on this journey. He was much more focused on finding Arthur and getting out of the dark tower. When they left, however, Merlin noticed Gwaine.

He was acting odd, like he wanted to look at Merlin and get as far away from Merlin at the same time. Merlin tried to remember how long he’d been doing this.

The three got back to their horses as quickly as they could. The night had fallen when they got there, so they set up camp.

Gwaine offered to keep first watch for the night. They were out of the Perilous Lands, so there could be bandits here. 

“You’ve been acting weird,” Merlin commented when he noticed Arthur was finally asleep. 

“Have I?” Gwaine said. Though it sounded like he knew what Merlin was talking about.

“What’s wrong then?” Merlin asked.

Gwaine sat up straighter before relaxing down again. “I don’t like magic.”

“Oh.” 

Merlin didn’t feel scared. He thought he should feel scared. But he just… didn’t feel scared. If Gwaine wanted to hurt him for having magic, he’d have done it the night before. 

“You’ve been kind to me Merlin. You’re a loyal friend.”

Merlin waited for the ‘but’.

“But,” Gwaine shook his head. “Magic is dangerous. Sorcerers are dangerous.”

“I’m not.”

“You lifted an iron gate like it was nothing.”

“I’m not going to hurt you, Gwaine.”

“Doesn’t matter, I know what the fallout of sorcery looks like. I’m not going to be around when it happens.”

“And that means…?”

“When the two of you reach Camelot’s borders, I’m heading east.”

“Right.”

Merlin was at a loss. He knew Gwaine didn’t like sitting still, so he didn’t know how to convince him to stay.

“I’ll miss you,” he said. It was the only thing he was sure of.

Gwaine smirked. “Don’t be like that. You’ll have the princess to keep your attention.”

Gwaine had a look in his eyes that Merlin couldn’t read. 

“Princess?” he asked.

“I think it’s fitting,” Gwaine joked. 

Merlin shrugged and lay down on the bedroll. 

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Merlin.”

When Gwaine parted ways with them at the border, Merlin expected to feel some sort of loss. He did, but not for long enough for it to matter. Just as Gwaine had seemingly divined, Arthur filled the gap. 

After the two of them returned and Arthur presented his trophy to the king, Morgana cornered Merlin outside the throne room. 

“Come with me.”

Merlin followed her to her chambers. She sat him down at her table. 

“You’ve got to tell me what happened,” Morgana said. “Unless you somehow told Arthur of your magic, you know more about it than he does. Also, where’s Gwaine.”

Merlin told her each bit of the journey. The bridge, telling Gwaine, the wyverns, the tower, the Fisher King, and the journey back.

“Oh,” Morgana said sadly. 

“Yeah.”

“Well, at least he didn’t try and hurt you or me,” Morgana said, trying to name the invisible bright side to the situation.

“So what happened here?”

“Uther almost caught me with Gwen,” Morgan said, smirking.

“Really?” Merlin said.

“Yes,” Morgana grinned, her teeth sparkling. “It was terrifying. Probably much more terrifying for Gwen. But it was exhilarating, too.”

“How was that exhilarating?” Merlin asked like he thought she was crazy.

“Have you never almost gotten caught doing something you’re not supposed too and then gotten away with it without consequence. Isn’t that feeling amazing?”

Merlin shook his head. “No.” He ran his fingers through his hair, noticing that it was growing out slightly. “Morgana, I grew up with magic in a place where if you had magic the king would force you into his army. That kind of thing was always life or death.”

Morgana frowned. “Was there never something innocent you did?” she asked. “Something that didn’t hurt anyone? Or could have gotten you hurt?”

Merlin shrugged. “Probably.”

They waited in silence for a moment. 

“You’re probably tired, you should get some rest,” Morgana said. 

Merlin understood the dismissal, before realizing she wasn’t telling him to leave, she was just giving him an out. He took it though. He nodded.

“Goodbye, Morgana.” He stepped out of her chambers and headed to Gaius’.

He went passed Gaius and his greetings. It had gotten dark. Merlin was ready to flop down on his bed.

He did. He forwent dinner, he could have a big breakfast in the morning if he needed too. 

After flinging himself unceremoniously into bed, he let himself finally think. 

Arthur was to Courage as Gwaine was to Strength as Merlin was to Magic. Arthur was the Once and Future King. Merlin was Emrys. Their names may not have been written in their destinies, but their titles seemed to be. Arthur was just as much Courage as he was the Once and Future King.

But what did that mean about Merlin?

Kilgharrah had said he had many names. Emrys was just one of them and it was the only one he’d been called. 

Was Merlin as much Magic as he was Emrys? 

He must be…

Destinies never made sense to Merlin. He’d never really understood how they worked. The druids hadn’t told him much about his own destiny even after they found out it was indeed his destiny they knew. He hadn’t asked them too, there was no reason for them to think he didn’t already know as much as they did.

Arthur was called Courage because he was courageous. Gwaine was called Strength because he was strong. Merlin was called Magic because he was magical.

The only time Merlin had heard about something magical, it was a creature. Magical was a word that described a creature made by magic. 

So Merlin really must be a monster.

Though, Merlin had come to the conclusion of the word magical himself. Maybe he was just looking for another excuse to call himself a monster.

He released a humorless laugh as he stared up at his ceiling.

Whatever the oldest prophets might have called him, he was the only person he’d ever heard of that was born already able to do magic. Merlin couldn’t see why that didn’t make him a monster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading <3 <3


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training and bandits!

The next time Merlin left the castle, he left alone and headed back to Ealdor. The last time he’d visited his father had mentioned Dragonlord training. They’d be heading into the woods that surrounded half of Ealdor, and calling for Kilgharrah.

Merlin was excited. Balinor had said that he’d only know if he was a dragonlord when he faced his first dragon. He’d only ever talked to Kilgharrah, never reached out with his magic. He didn’t exactly know what he’d be doing to call Kilgharrah to Ealdor, but he was sure Balinor would explain.

He hugged his mother as soon as he got home. Balinor served them both dinner. Merlin laid out his bedroll on the floor and the three slept through the night. The next morning, Balinor woke him up with a plate of eggs before the sun rose. They ate, and left for the woods as soon as there was enough light in the sky to see by without a lantern.

Merlin’s mom was still asleep when they crept out of the waking village into the woods.

They walked for hours in silence. Merlin didn’t like initiating conversation with Balinor, because Balinor hadn’t regained the skill of maintaining it. He waited until Balinor had something to say, it just made things easier. Merlin didn’t mind silence so much if it were on purpose.

Merlin also had the forest to distract him. He hadn’t seen this forest in about three years. It’s magic was familiar. He hadn’t noticed it much when he was younger, his magic is much more in tune with the world now. It often reaches out to rub up against other magics.

They stop when they get to a large clearing that Kilgharrah could fit in.

“You won’t inherit the full dragonlord powers until I die, but I don’t doubt you’ve inherited my abilities.”

Merlin nodded. “So what can I do?”

“Speak to them, mostly. You can’t command them, just make requests. Kilgharrah will be able to hear your call.”

For the next hour, they sat in grass damp with dew as Balinor described how to call out to Kilgharrah.

When Merlin called out, it sounded like roaring. Kilgharrah came flying down. It took barely two hours for him to get there, but Merlin could feel his call was being answered.

His father had him sit with the old dragon and speak in dragon tongue for the next two hours. At noon, Merlin was extremely tired. It didn’t take much magic to create the dragonish words in his mouth, but it needed to be sustained.

Kilgharrah was shockingly patient with Merlin. Merlin asked him question after question with stuttering and slipping words. He answered each one. He kept them short to make them easier for Merlin to hear.

Balinor called for a break at noon. Kilgharrah flew away, and Merlin and Balinor went back to Ealdor for lunch.

Merlin slept hard that night. The next morning, his father woke him up before the sun did again. They did the same thing as the day before. It was hard, but that only made Merlin’s successes that much easier.

Merlin headed back to Camelot after lunch.

During his ride back, he realized he could tell Arthur about the training. Perhaps not the specific magic of it, but the training. Arthur knew Balinor was his dad, Merlin was very excited to tell Arthur about the whole thing.

That night, Arthur was dining with his father and Merlin was eating with Gaius afterward. The next night Merlin had the opportunity to tell Arthur as much detail as he wanted about the whole trip.

Arthur smiled politely through the whole thing. Merlin couldn’t really tell if he was actually enjoying the stories or if he was even paying attention. It made Merlin happy anyways. He’s never gotten to talk about anything so close to magic like this.

“Sounds wonderful, Merlin,” Arthur said as he finished his dinner.

“It was.”

Merlin took his plate.

Arthur dismissed him and Merlin left without protest.

^*^

Morgana and Merlin made their trip to the druids sooner than they usually did. Mordred’s birthday had come again and he once again insisted they be there for it.

He did a special sort of spell for them that he’d just mastered as soon as they arrived. It showered them in glittering sparkles that disappeared as soon as they hit anything solid.

Then Mordred made the dirt carve itself into the number thirteen.

Morgana applauded while Merlin merely grinned.

Mordred made sure to give each of them at least a ten minute hug. Both hugs resulted in Morgana and Merlin sitting down.

Mordred was thirteen. Merlin was twenty. Morgana was twenty-seven. Aging was very shocking.

Morgana had suggested that Arthur come this visit. She’d told him briefly of what they were doing. He knew they were going. He didn’t know Mordred was here or he’d probably be insisting he come.

Merlin didn’t think it was a good idea though. The druids had just found out about him being Emrys. A druid letting it slip wasn’t how Merlin planned on Arthur finding out he had magic.

Merlin was right about one thing, the druids were treating him different now. They cared about his opinion now. The cared about it a lot. Mordred’s birthday celebration was a lot more grand than the previous year’s had been.

They stepped around him instead of past him. It wasn’t like they were scared to touch him, more they just didn’t want him irritated. They didn’t give him any explicit special treatment he didn’t ask for.

But when it was time to eat, Merlin got the first bowl. It wasn’t entirely unusual since they were always being treated as guests. Usually, Morgana was the more important guest, Merlin was just seeing the difference. If Morgana had no qualms with it, Merlin could handle the extra attention.

They only slept one night at the camp before returning to Camelot. Merlin didn’t get to relax when he got back to the castle.

Merlin got to sleep one night in his chambers before Arthur decided he wanted to go on a four day long hunting trip deep in the woods.

He only was given an hour to prepare the horses with all the blankets, weaponry and provisions they’d need while they were in the woods. He barely managed to have everything packed before Arthur was demanding they set off immediately.

“Why did you want to go hunting anyway?” Merlin whined.

“The king has started pestering me about marriage.”

“Ah, and you don’t want to get married,” Merlin said.

Arthur scrunched up his face.

“I don’t want to marry some princess from far away that I’ve never met for petty politics and land negotiations,” Arthur corrected. He signaled for Merlin to get quiet and held up his crossbow to find what he was aiming at.

Merlin searched for a sign of a creature. Unfortunately the crossbow was too loud and startled the pheasant that Arthur had been aiming at.

“Why do you always want to go hunting though?” Merlin complained.

Arthur lowered his crossbow as they continued ridding further away from the castle. “Because, Merlin, I can be virtually alone if I ignore your prattle.”

“Then why am I even here, why couldn’t you just go alone?”

“Because someone’s got to carry everything. And it would get rather boring if you weren’t here.”

“Because you would be wandering aimlessly through the forest searching for something to kill and no one to entertain you if you didn’t?” Merlin suggested.

Arthur sighed like he didn’t want to fight Merlin on what he said but he didn’t like what he’d said. “I suppose.”

Merlin glanced at Arthur worryingly. “Did I miss a shouting match while I was away with Morgana?”

Arthur raised his crossbow again. “Quite a few, actually.”

Merlin frowned. Arthur shot, Merlin heard the arrow hitting it’s target.

The two dismounted their horses to go see what Arthur had shot.

It was a small rabbit.

They continued through the woods after Arthur tied the rabbit to Merlin’s horse.

Arthur didn’t let them stop frequently. It seemed he wanted to get as far away from the citadel and he could. The further they got, the more worried Merlin became that he might not have packed enough.

They had the rabbit for dinner. Merlin cooked it and Arthur prepared the other things he’d killed for easier transport. He’d loosed more bolts from his crossbow than he usually did on hunting trips. Usually he had more than one knight with him to help.

It didn’t seem Arthur was taking his anger out on the animals. It seemed like he was taking it out on the crossbow.

“I never realized that hunting wasn’t really about killing things,” Merlin said as he stirred the stew.

“Course not, Merlin,” Arthur scolded. He glared at the creature in front of him. “That’d be barbaric. It’s about the discipline it takes to be able to shoot the thing.”

“So couldn’t you do the same thing with some kind of game?” Merlin waited for a response but Arthur didn’t seem to think he’d finished his question. “Without killing something?”

“There are archery tournaments,” Arthur said. “But I couldn’t very well get out of the castle and away from the king for chess, could I.”

“You’re running away?”

“No I’m not running away!”

Arthur sighed.

“What are you doing then?” Merlin asked softly.

“Trying to feel something other than the oppressive bureaucratic nightmare that is my father, I suppose,” Arthur sighed.

“Dinner’s ready.”

They rode all the next day too, getting deeper into these woods than Merlin had ever been.

Deeper meant more things to shoot at according to Arthur.

Unfortunately, deeper also meant bandits.

Bandits that began swarming them as the sun started to set on their second day of riding.

Suddenly, Merlin was completely and entirely overwhelmed. The two dismounted their horses as quickly as possible. Merlin looked for something to fight with. He dodged behind trees in order too get himself out of the way of the direct fight. There were about twenty men.

There was someone else in shinning armor standing on a rock not to far away. Her golden hair was gracefully blowing in the wind. She was waiting for the fight to end.

Morgause.

Arthur had started to run and Merlin followed him. There were far to many bandits for Arthur to fight. The two were barely gaining any distance on the men.

The two ducked behind a rock that turned into a rocky path on a slope downward.

It didn’t matter. Everything was hopeless if Arthur was meant to do it alone. There was a tree that Merlin could knock over the ravine that split off of the downward slope.

On the one hand, this wasn’t when Merlin was planning to tell Arthur he had magic. On the other hand, when was there going to be a better time than when their lives were in danger. The pounding footsteps of the twenty men chasing them with very sharp swords were getting much closer than they already were.

Merlin looked at Arthur. He was sitting with his back pressed against the rock, tilting his head up like he could see the men coming. There was no way he could see anything from this angle, but he was trying to anyway. Merlin smiled too himself.

It did seem that in this moment, it was now or never. Merlin had seconds to act.

Merlin impulsively grabbed Arthur’s hand. That certainly wasn’t part of any plans he’d ever thought up in the past.

“Arthur,” Merlin said. Arthur turned too look at him like he thought Merlin was loosing hope. He gave a nervous smile that was trying to be confident. “I have magic.”

Without waiting for any recognition to meet Arthur’s eyes, he ran to the edge of the cliff.

He glanced around for any sign of Morgause. He saw a glint of her armor on the far away rock. She couldn’t see him from there.

He knocked down the tree and used it to carefully cross the ravine. The men behind him were following fast. He hadn’t gotten to the other side before the first man had stepped on the trunk. The ravine seemed to get wider and wider as Merlin struggled to balance on the long trunk that had fallen so hard it had pressed itself into the soil.

When he jumped off the trunk on the other side, a bandit was close behind. All the bandits were on the long trunk though. Merlin reached out his hand as a knife came hurtling towards him. He could tell it had burred itself in him somewhere. He cast a spell to slice the log down the middle, causing all twenty bandits to fall into the ravine.

Merlin didn’t hear them hit the bottom.

Merlin didn’t hear Arthur’s shouts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for 500 kudos!! <3 <3 <3 <3

**Author's Note:**

> I invite everyone to the discord server I made for this work!!! <3
> 
> https://discord.gg/DvBEqBfgUt
> 
> I love hearing all of your thoughts and Discord servers are a really fun way to make an online community! Anyone who wants to come is welcome and if you don't know how to use Discord yet, I'm sure there will be someone there to help you out.


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